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BY    CHARLES    BARNARD. 


Through  darkness  riseth  light.—  THE  ELIJAH. 


BOSTON : 

MUSICAL   HERALD   COMPANY,   Music   HALL. 
1880. 


Copyright,  /SSo, 

by 
Eben   Tourjit, 


PREFATOR  Y  NOTE. 

The  author  would  respectfully  acknowledge  the. 
valuable  assistance  of  Messrs.  Hook  6-  Hastings, 
organ-builders,  of  Boston,  in  preparing  certain  por- 
tions of  the  technical  parts  of  this  work. 


THE  A  UTHOR. 
New   York,  September,  1880. 


[ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED  BY  THB  AUTHOR.] 


ZEGELDA    ROMANIEF. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  harvest  now  is  over,  the  summer  days  are  gone. — Elijah. 

IT  was  snowing  fast,  and  the  dimly-lighted 
streets  of  the  little  town  were  deserted.  Even 
the  shop-keepers  thought  it  useless  to  keep  open 
on  such  a  bad  night,  and  were  already  putting 
up  their  shutters,  though  it  was  only  seven 
o'clock.  It  was  a  good  night  to  keep  within, 
a  good  night  to  sleep,  and  it  seemed  as  If  the 
entire  community  intended  to  improve  the  oppor- 
tunity early.  On  a  wooden  fence  in  Main  Street 
was  a  single  poster,  setting  forth,  in  small  type, 
the  fact  that  there  would  be  a  "  grand  concert " 
that  evening  at  the  Music  Hall.  A  sorry  night 
for  a  concert  in  a  rural  town. 


g  ZEGELDA  ROMAN1EF. 

The  Music  Hall  was  an  old  church  fallen  to 
base  uses,  and  now  half  opera  house,  half  lecture 
room.  It  had  a  stage  and  curtain  and  three  sets 
of  dilapidated  scenery,  and  some  hundreds  of 
second-hand  seats.  There  was  one  gas-lamp 
flaring  in  a  broken  lantern  over ^ the  wooden  steps 
that  led  up  to  the  battered  door,  marked  with  a 
tin  sign  "Main  Entrance."  The  snow  lay  in  a 
winrow  on  the  sidewalk,  and  not  a  footstep  had 
broken  its  shape.  To  the  rear  or  stage  door, 
on  a  back  street,  there  came  a  party  of  five 
people,  two  men,  two  women,  and  one  child,  with 
one  trunk  and  two  hand-bags  between  them. 
A  boy  with  a  lantern  opened  the  door,  and  led 
the  way  up  the  crazy  stairs  to  a  barn-like  room 
with  neither  carpet  nor  fire.  On  the  dingy  wall 
was  a  single  gas-lamp  in  a  wire  cage,  and  in  the 
corner  two  broken-back  chairs.  The  two  men 
placed  the  trunk  on  the  floor,  and  then  followed 
the  boy  across  the  dusty  stage  to  the  hall.  In 
a  corner  under  the  gallery,  standing  before  a  big 
stove,  they  found  the  janitor  of  the  hall. 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 


7 


The  two  women  sat  down  in  the  wretched 
dressing-room,  one  in  silent  despair,  the  other 
with  a  stolid  patience  that  seemed  to  care  noth- 
ing for  the  unhappy  plight  which  they  were  in. 
The  child  sat  on  the  trunk,  and  stared  at  the 
lamp  in  its  cage  on  the  wall.  A  strange  girl, 
apparently  more  than  a  child,  and  yet  not  quite 
a  woman.  She  was  thin  and  pale  as  if  half-fed 
and  ill-clothed ;  yet  her  black  eyes  seemed  to  burn 
with  a  restless  glow,  as  if  she  had  a  brave  spirit 
touched  with  fire.  With  all  the  poverty,  priva- 
tion, and  misery  of  her  life,  she  was  happy.  She 
beat  time  to  some  melody  in  her  mind  on  the 
old  trunk  with  fingers  that  were  thin  and  long. 
She  seemed  to  anticipate  something.  Very  soon 
the  lights  would  be  turned  up,  the  people  would 
throng  into  the  place,  she  would  put  on  her 
white  dress  and  would  sing  for  them.  Uncon- 
sciously, her  lips  parted,  and  her  voice  seemed  to 
ripple,  in  half  whisper,  half  music,  a  sparkling 
stream  of  notes, —  a  tawny  brook  flowing  through 
shady  woods,  and  flecked  with  sunshine. 


g  ZEGELDA     ROMANIES. 

The  elder  woman  listened  to  her  for  a  moment, 
and  said  aloud, — 

"There's   a   fortune  in  them  notes,  some  day." 

The  child's  mother  smiled  in  a  sickly,  almost 
ghastly  manner,  and  said, — 

"  So  her  father  has  said,  but  the  public  seems 
to  care  nothing  for  them.  Even  her  father  has 
lost  heart.  This  last  trip  has  taken  all  the  cour- 
age out  of  him.  We  never  met  with  such  disas- 
ter before." 

The  elder  woman  actually  seemed  to  snarl  at 
her.  "Whose  fault  is  it?  I'm  sure  my  husband 
put  up  all  the  capital  for  the  trip.  You  said 
there  was  money  in  the  girl?  Where  is  it  now?" 

"You  said  yourself,  just  now,  there  was  money 
in  her  voice." 

"I  said  there  would  be  a  fortune  in  her  some 
day,  not  now." 

The  child  stopped  singing;  and  her  mother 
shook  her  head  dubiously,  and  made  no  reply. 
Nobody  believed  in  the  child,  except  its  mother. 
Its  father  had  faith  in  the  girl's  future  at  one 


Z  EG  ELD  A     ROMA  NIE  f.  Q 

time,  -but  that  time  had  gone.  The  room  was 
dark  and  cold,  but  for  the  girl  it  was  nothing. 
The  concert  would  begin  soon.  Her  father 
would  sit  at  the  piano,  and  she  would  catch  up 
the  notes,  and  repeat  them  with  happy  ease. 
What  could  be  more  beautiful  than  to  sing? 

"Isn't  it  almost  time  for  me  to  dress,  mother?" 

The  elder  woman  laughed  in  a  sneering  man- 
ner, and  the  mother  said  wearily, — 

"  Wait  a  little,  child.  We  must  see  what  sort 
of  a  house  we  shall  get." 

Just  then  the  two  men  returned,  with  the  jani- 
tor of  the  hall.  The  child  rose  at  once,  for  she 
knew  the  trunk  must  be  opened  to  get  out  their 
concert  dresses.  The  elder  of  the  two  men  un- 
locked the  trunk,  and  took  out  a  well-worn  black 
dress  coat. 

"If  that  will  settle  the  bill-poster's  claim,  you 
may  take  it." 

The  child  went  to  her  father,  and  took  his 
hand.  A  vague  sense  of  impending  trouble  filled 
her  heart.  Perhaps  there  would  be  no  concert, 


10 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEP. 


after  all.  The  others  looked  on  in  stony  indif- 
ference. This  was  the  end,  the  bottom  round  of 
the  ladder.  There  was  nothing  more  to  be  done, 
and  it  made  little  difference  what  became  of  any- 
thing. When  a  ship  is  going  down,  nobody  is 
very  particular  to  save  the  sails  or  furniture. 

Round  and  round  the  country,  from  town  to 
town,  from  hall  to  hall,  they  had  travelled,  ap- 
pearing night  after  night  to  smaller  and  smaller 
audiences.  When  they  set  out,  they  had  seven 
trunks.  This  was  the  last  one  left.  The  janitor 
examined  the  coat  carefully,  and  said  slowly, — 

"  I  guess  he  will  call  it  square  for  that,  seeing 
you  had  so  few  bills.  I  guess  you  have  had  bad 
luck,  and  I'll  let  the  rent  go.  The  last  concert 
company  here  lost  forty  dollars,  and  they  had  a 
great  deal  of  printing.  Fact  is,  our  folks  don't 
care  much  for  good  music.  The  minstrels  showed 
here  last  night  to  $120, —  not  a  woman  in  the 
house.  I  reckon  it  about  dreened  the  town  for 
this  week.  It's  only  a  hundred-dollar  place,  at 
best." 


ZEGELDA     ROMA  XI EP. 


II 


He  helped  them  with  the  trunk  down  the 
stairs  to  the  street ;  and  then  they  went  away 
down  the  steep,  slippery  street,  towards  the  river, 
in  dull  and  heart-broken  silence.  The  men  car- 
ried the  trunk  between  them  to  the  hotel  where 
they  had  all  slept  the  night  before,  and  the 
women  and  child  crept  slowly  after  them.  They 
placed  the  trunk  on  the  hall  floor,  where  they 
well  knew  it  would  remain.  It  would  perhaps 
settle  their  bill,  and  that  was  the  end  of  it. 

There  was  a  brief  consultation  in  the  cold  and 
cheerless  office,  some  whispered  words  with  the 
sleepy  clerk,  and  then  the  entire  party  went  out 
into  the  night,  into  the  snow-blinded  street,  with- 
out baggage,  homeless,  houseless,  and  apparently 
penniless.  Before  them,  just  across  the  way,  was 
the  river,  black  and  vast  in  the  night.  The  wind 
sighed  in  the  naked  trees,  but  the  river  was  si- 
lent, swift,  and  cold.  On  either  hand,  to  the  right 
and  left,  stretched  a  long  row  of  blinking  gas- 
lamps,  marking  where  the  street  led  away  into 
the  open  country. 


12 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


The  party  was  at  the  end  of  its  resources. 
They  had  parted  with  everything,  and  could  keep 
up  no  longer.  The  manager  was  the  first  to  take 
the  decisive  step.  They  were  reduced  to  that 
condition  where  all  cohesion  was  lost,  and  the 
troupe  would  go  to  pieces.  He  spoke  to  his  wife, 
who  had  acted  the  part  of  the  ballad-singer  in 
their  concerts,  and  they  both  began  to  move  off 
to  the  right  down  the  street  leading  to  the  open 
country. 

"I  dare  say  we  can  find  a  skiff  somewhere 
along  the  river;  and  we'll  head  off  the  night-boat, 
and  leave  these  wretches  to  shift  for  themselves." 

The  woman  seemed  to  agree  to  this,  and  in  a 
moment  they  were  walking  away,  leaving  the 
father  and  mother*  of  the  child  alone  in  the 
street 

The  father  and  the  musical  leader  of  the 
party  ran  after  them  for  a  few  steps,  and  asked 
where  they  were  going. 

"It's  none  of  your  business,"  said  the  manager. 
"When  it  gets  down  to  this,  every  man  looks  for 
himself." 


ZEGF.LDA     ROMA.VIEF.  j^ 

With  that,  they  were  gone, —  lost  in  the  dark- 
ness. 

The  child  began  to  cry  piteously ;  for  the  damp 
snow  chilled  her  feet,  and  she  had  neither  muff 
nor  gloves. 

Suddenly,  the  mother  snatched  up  the  child  in 
her  arms,  and  moved  across  the  street  towards 
the  river. 

"  Where  are  you  going  with  that  child  ? "  said 
her  husband. 

"I'm  going  to  mend  her  misery  and  mine — or 
end  it." 

******** 

The  captain  and  pilot  both  stood  by  the  wheel 
in  the  pilot-house,  looking  out  on  the  storm  and 
darkness.  The  throb  of  the  engine  came  slowly 
and  monotonously,  and  the  vast  bulk  of  the 
steamer  moved  silently  through  the  black  water 
and  invisible  snow.  The  hills  on  either  side 
were  dim  ghosts  of  a  phantom  country.  It  was 
the  last  trip  down,  and  the  few  belated  travellers 
had  wisely  sought  their  comfortable  state-rooms 
for  the  night. 


14  ZEGELDA     ROMANIES. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  faint  light  dancing  on 
the  water  just  ahead,  and  at  the  same  instant  the 
lookout,  on  the  deck  below,  sang  out, — 

"Boat  ahead,  sir!" 

The  captain  pulled  the  bell,  and  the  engine 
stopped.  They  must  go  slow  on  such  a  night  at 
the  slightest  hint  of  danger.  The  silence  of  the 
river,  the  night,  and  the  falling  snow,  was  appal- 
ling. A  door  opened  below,  and  the  second 
officer  came  on  deck. 

"What  do  you  make  her  out?" 

"Small  boat,  sir.  Shows  a  light.  Seems  to  be 
in  distress." 

"Keep  her  to  port  a  little,"  said  the  captain  to 
the  pilot.  Then  he  leaned  out  of  the  window, 
and  said, — 

"  Stand  by  below,  with   a  line  to  pick   her  up." 

"For  heaven's  sake,  take  us  aboard!"  cried  a 
voice  from  the  water. 

The  bell  rang  again,  and  the  engine  moved 
slowly,  and  white  sheets  of  creamy  water  swept 
past  the  bows,  glistening  in  the  steamer's  lamps. 
More  men  came  out  on  deck.  A  rope  was  skil- 


ZEGF.LDA     ROMANIES.  jC 

fully  thrown  and  caught,  and  in  a  moment  the 
frail,  open  boat  was  drawn  up  alongside. 

"  That  was  a  crazy  trip  for  a  man  and  wom- 
an," said  the  second  officer.  "You  may  be 
thankful  we  saw  you." 

The  engine  throbbed  again,  the  skiff  was  cast 
adrift,  and  the  people  hastily  sought  the  shelter 
of  the  saloon. 

The  rescued  party  found  the  captain's  office, 
and  paid  for  a  state-room  for  man  and  wife  and 
two  passages  to  the  city.  Very  few  people  saw 
this  singular  incident,  and  in  the  quiet  of  the 
night  it  was  soon  forgotten.  t 

They  sat  up  in  their  state-room  for  a  long 
time,  carefully  counting-  a  large  roll  of  bills. 

"We   did  pretty   well,   take   it   all   together." 

"Yes;  but  I  still  think  it  would  have  been  better 
to  hang  on  to  the  chikl  a  little  longer.  There's 
more  money  in  her  yet, — when  her  voice  is  trained." 

"  Make  hay  while  you  can,  is  my  motto,"  re- 
plied the  husband. 

With  this  remark,  they  hid  the  money  in  their 
clothing,  and  retired  for  the  night. 


CHAPTER  II. 

He  that  shall  endure  to  the  end  shall  be  saved.—  Elijah. 

THE  avenue  was  thronged  with  people  just 
returning  from  afternoon-service.  The  churches 
had  been  well  attended,  for  the  day  was  pleasant, 
though  cloudy;  and  it  was  midwinter,  when  all 
the  fashionable  world  was  in  town,  busy  over  its 
idle  nothings,  and  eager  to  go  to  church,  hear 
the  music,  and  be  comfortably  saved  from  its 
various  sins.  From  the  doors  of  St.  Clement's 
came  out  a  multitude  that,  in  its  strictly  proper 
way,  considered  itself  representative  of  the  saints 
on  earth  in  good  social  standing.  If  there  were 
sinners  among  them,  they  descended  from  the 
organ-loft.  In  the  church  vestibule,  gloomy  with 
stained  glass,  there  was  a  little  buzz  of  excite- 
ment. Such  a  thing  had  never  happened  before. 
St.  Clement's  had  been  scandalized.  The  very 


ZEGELDA    ROMANIEF.  j^ 

gargoyles  on  the  eaves  looked  the  more  ugly  than 
ever  to  think  such  doings  had  been  allowed  under 
the  sacred  roof  of  which  they  were  such  pious 
servants.  Even  the  plaster  angels  round  the  base 
of  the  dome  had  turned  pale,  and  shook  the  dust 
from  their  folded  wings  in  holy  horror. 

Lovers  had  sat  in  the  dark  corners,  and  held 
each  other's  hands  during  the  sermon.  Boy- 
lovers  had  passed  caramels  to  little  girls,  and 
even  baby-sinners-  had  whispered  in  prayer-time. 
These  were  sins  that  would  doubtless  be  pun- 
ished in  due  time,  but  they  were  as  nothing  to  a 
more  blatant  crime  that  had  defiled  the  very  air 
of  the  church.  The  larger  part  of  the  congrega- 
tion frowned,  and  hoped  something  would  be 
done  about  it,  and  then  went  peacefully  home 
with  a  comfortable  sense  of  duty  done.  A  few 
remained  behind  to  see  what  would  happen. 
They  gained  but  little ;  for,  when  the  choir 
came  down,  they  were  one  by  one  invited  pri- 
vately into  the  vestry,  there  to  meet  the  church- 
music  committee.  There  was  the  organist,  a 


i8 


Z  EG  ELD  A 


tender  young  thing,  lacking  in  everything  save 
fingers;  a  rather  gorgeous  soprano,  a  timid  little 
alto,  a  black-whiskered  bass,  and  the  tenor.  He 
deserves  brief  mention.  He  was  young,  well- 
made,  though  pale  and  thin,  and  with  a  faint 
suggestion  of  poverty  about  his  dress ;  a  man 
of  quiet  manners  and  placid  temperament ;  evi- 
dently, a  man  who  thought  much  and  said  little. 

The  music-committee  was  composed  of  a  law- 
yer who  could  not  read  music,  a  banker  who  had 
neither  voice  nor  ear,  two  merchants  who  knew 
nothing  of  music,  and  the  minister  of  the  church. 
The  minister  was  really  the  only  man  who  knew 
anything  whatever  about  music,  and  yet  they 
were  met  to  sit  in  judgment  on  the  choir. 

St.  Clement's  was  passing  through  the  bar- 
barous age.  In  due  time  would  come  another 
and  a  wiser  who  would  make  all  things  new. 

"  It  appears  from  good  evidence,"  said  the 
lawyer,  "that  the  music  you  gave  to-day,  both  at 
the  morning  and  afternoon  service,  was  not  suit- 
able to  the  time  or  place." 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF.  jg 

The  banker  added  that  the  music,  though  fitted 
to  a  hymn,  reminded  one  of  the  opera  from 
which  it  had  been  taken,  and  thus  led  to 
thoughts  very  far  from  those  of  the  hymn. 

The  minister  regretted  this  had  happened,  and 
asked  what  the  choir  had  to  say. 

Both  ladies  were  voluble  in  protesting  that 
they  had  no  choice  in  the  matter.  They  sang 
what  was  placed  before  them. 

"You  are  ladies,  and  had  a  lady's  influence. 
Did  you  use  it  ?  " 

Well,  no.      They  sang  the  music  given  to  them. 

The  bass  singer  remarked  that  he  didn't  see 
that  it  made  any  difference.  Music  was  music. 

"All  right,"  said  the  lawyer:  "you  can  sing 
elsewhere." 

This  brought  a  wail  from  the  soprano  and 
tears  from  the  alto,  though  she  strove  hard  to 
hide  them.  The  organist  made  some  feeble  pro- 
test, and  the  bass  insisted  he  should  stand  by  his 
contract. 

"Then  you  had  better  read  it  again,"  re- 
marked the  banker. 


2O 


ZEGELDA     ROMA. VIE  P. 


The  tenor  said  nothing.  He  had  protested  at 
the  rehearsal,  the  night  before,  against  the  use  of 
the  music,  yet  he  would  not  take  an  advantage 
over  his  co-laborers.  It  was  better  to  suffer  an 
injustice  than  to  do  an  unkindness. 

The  contract  between  the  choir  had  been  care- 
fully drawn,  and,  by  one  of  its  sections,  such  an 
offence  as  this  dissolved  it  instantly. 

"  You  will  please  call  at  my  office  to-morrow," 
said  the  banker,  "for  your  pay  up  to  date.  You 
have  permission  to  withdraw." 

The  five  went  out  in  silence ;  and  the  janitor, 
with  a  grin  of  ill-disguised  malice,  closed  the 
doors  of  the  church  upon  these  miserable  sin- 
ners cast  out  into  outer  darkness. 

It  was  indeed  outer  darkness,  for  the  night  and 
a  storm  had  come.  As  they  gathered  in  the  de- 
serted street,  by  the  light  of  a  gas  lamp,  the 
soprano  gave  the  organist  a  rather  acrid  piece  of 
her  mind ;  and,  like  the  small  creature  that  he 
was,  he  turned  and  stung  her  with  the  remark 
that  the  particular  piece  of  music  that  had  made 


ZE  GEL  DA     ROMA  NIEF. 


21 


all  the  trouble  had  been  sung  at  her  request. 
The  little  alto  was  in  tears.  Poor  child !  Her 
lines  were  hard.  The  pay  from  the  church  was 
absolutely  her  only  means  of  support ;  and  now 
she  was  thrown  out  of  it,  and  through  no  fault  of 
her  own. 

"  See  what  your  stupidity  has  brought  us  to !  " 
said '  the  bass,  shaking  his  fist  at  the  organist. 
"I've  half  a  mind  to  thrash  you." 

"  Oh  !  Come  now,  gentlemen,"  remonstrated 
the  tenor,  "  let  us  have  no  scene  in  the  street. 
It  won't  help  the  matter  in  the  least.  I  dare  say 
we  can  all  find  new  places. " 

For  the  moment,  the  organist  made  no  reply. 
It  was  afterward  reported  he  said  many  bitter 
and  ill-natured  things  against  the  whole  choir. 
Rumor  also  has  it  that  for  this  he  was  privately 
thrashed  by  the  soprano's  husband.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  this  last  was  true. 

There  was  nothing  more  to  be  said  or  done ; 
and  the  organist,  bass,  soprano,  and  alto  went 
their  several  ways  in  silence,  leaving  the  tenor 


22 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


alone  in  the  walk,  in  the  shadow  of  the  great 
church. 

Here  is  a  point  in  human  experience, —  a  mere 
episode  in  art-life  and  apparently  trifling,  but 
really  wide-reaching  in  its  influence,  and  affecting 
one  life,  at  least,  for  all  time.  We  strive  and  do 
and  bear,  and  life  moves  on,  and  our  doings  and 
strivings  bear  strange  fruits.  Even  our  burdens 
sometimes  blossom  with  unexpected  flowers. 

"  If  you  please,  sir,  could  you  give  me  some- 
thing to  get  a  night's  lodging?" 

The  tenor  turned  to  see  who  spoke,  and  found 
a  child,  thinly  and  poorly  clad,  and  with  a  scared 
and  starved  lo'ok  in  her  eyes,  at  his  side.  Beg- 
ging was  the  curse  of  the  city ;  and  he  was  on 
the  point  of  turning  away  in  disgust  and  anger, 
when  a  woman  advanced  into  the  circle  of  light 
under  the  street  lamp,  and  said  quickly, — 

"I  must  ask  pardon,  sir,  for  the  child;  but 
the  fact  is  we  are  actually  suffering  for  food 
and  shelter." 

The  young  man   felt   in   his   pocket   for  a   coin, 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF.  2* 

and  then  remembered  that  he  was  almost  as  poor 
as  they. 

"  I  know  nothing  about  you,"  said  he ;  "  but 
the  child  seems  to  be  really  suffering." 

"  Father  was  killed  some  time  ago,  when  we 
were  walking  on  the  railroad." 

"  We  buried  him,  sir,"  added  the  woman,  "  in 
the  town  where  we  were,  in  a  pauper's  grave ; 
and  then  we  two  travelled  on  to  the  city.  We 
have  neither  friends  nor  home  nor  money." 

"  I  live  with  a  woman  who  is  a  milliner.  She 
has  a  spare  room.  I'll  borrow  it  for  you  for  to- 
night. Perhaps  it  will  be  a  fairer  day  to-morrow 
for  us  all." 

"  I  knew  he  would  help  us,"  said  the  child. 
"  And,  mother,  he  speaks  in  song  words.  He 
means  it  will  not  snow,  and  we  shall  find  help 
to-morrow." 

The  young  man  drew  her  to  the  light,  and 
looked  into  her  upturned  face  for  a  moment  in 
silence. 

"Child,  you  have  the  art  instinct.  I'll  be  your 
friend.  Come,  let  us  go  home." 


24  ZEGELDA     ROMANIES. 

Is  charity  always  wise  ?  In  the  case  of  the 
young  man  taking  the  strange  woman  and  her. 
child  to  his  home,  it  seemed  like  charity  without 
reason  and  altogether  foolish.  Whether  it  was 
wise  or  foolish,  events  must  prove.  His  landlady 
considered  the  affair  almost  an  affront.  The 
woman  and  child  were  total  strangers.  Why 
should  she  admit  them  to  her  house  ?  She  lis 
tened  to  their  story ;  and,  though  her  sympathy 
was  touched,  she, was  unwilling  to  take  them  in 
till  her  lodger  had  said  he  would  be  responsible! 
for  them,  and  even  then,  after  assigning  them  a 
room  next  his  own,  carefully  locked  up  the  rest 
of  the  house  against  them. 

The  morning  broke  late  and  cloudy ;  and  the 
young  man  rose  before  daylight,  and,  having  made 
a  cup  of  coffee  by  a  gas-stove,  and  eaten  a  loaf 
of  bread  left  by  the  baker  at  the  door,  he  sat 
down  to  examine  the  situation. 

To  understand  all  that  passed  in  his  mind,  we 
must  glance  at  the  events  of  his  previous  life. 
Born  upon  a  farm  in  Illinois,  Sebastian  Strove 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF.  2C 

had,  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  known 
little  of  life  except  its  toil.  His  father  had  emi- 
grated from  Norway  when  quite  young,  and  had, 
by  a  life  of  labor,  secured  a  home  and  farm  and 
family.  During  his  whole  life  in  this  country, 
his  range  of  thought  had  just  about  covered  the 
farm,  and  no  more.  Upon  his  farm  and  crops, 
he  had  spent  his  life.  The  result  was  admirable 
in  nearly  every  sense.  If  he  had  failed  in  any 
sense,  time  would  show  it  in  his  children's  lives. 
He  had  married  young,  and  there  were  many 
children, —  good,  commonplace  boys  and  girls,  of 
no  special  interest  to  any  one  except  their  par- 
ents, save  one,  the  eldest  born,  who  had  taken 
his  father's  name,  Sebastian. 

While  his  father's  antecedents  were  clear,  his 
mother's  history,  previous  to  her  marriage,  was 
somewhat  obscure.  She  had  come  to  the  Illi- 
nois township  from  Worcester,  Massachusetts.  At 
least,  she  said  so ;  and  Western  hospitality,  that 
seldom  asks  who  the  visitor  is,  but  only  what  he 
or  she  can  do,  had  been  extended  to  her  on 


2g  ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

every  side.  She  had  sufficient  money  to  pay  her 
way,  and  was  a  quiet  and  retiring  young  woman, 
able  and  willing  to  work  and  maintain  her  own 
place  in  society.  She  was  well  educated,  could 
sing,  and,  it  was  said,  could  play  the  piano.  This 
last  could  not  be  proved,  for  the  reason  that 
there  was  no  piano  in  the  town.  She  readily 
found  her  niche  in  society  as  the  village  school- 
mistress, but  it  was  not  for  long.  She  received 
several  offers  of  marriage,  including  one  from  the- 
rising  young  Norwegian,  Sebastian  Strove ;  and, 
after  some  delay,  she  had  accepted  him. 

The  farm  was  then  little  more  than  rough  soil ; 
the  homestead,  a  log  cabin.  The  farmer's  heart 
was  set  on  improving  both ;  and  his  wife  proved, 
indeed,  a  helpmeet.  He  was  greatly  pleased 
with  her  housewifely  ways,  and  he  gave  her  as 
much  of  his  heart  as  could  be  spared  from  the 
farm. 

For  the  wife,  the  log  cabin  was  a  safe  haven 
of  rest,  a  secure  shelter  from  the  terrible  storm 
that  had  passed  over  her  young  life.  She  cared 


ZEGELDA    ROMANIEF.  27 

only  for  peace  and  forgetfulness,  a  hiding-place 
from  all  who  had  known  her  in  distant  Massa- 
chusetts. She  was  a  silent  woman,  doing  her 
whole  duty  to  her  husband  and  children,  and 
loving  them  all,  particularly  the  eldest  born  boy, 
whom  she  regarded  with  a  kind  of  blind,  unrea- 
soning passion. 

Other  children  came  in  time ;  but,  for  some 
reason,  she  never  seemed  to  care  for  them  as  for 
the  eldest  born.  He  was  unlike  his  brothers  or 
sisters  either  in  looks  or  temperament.  He  was 
from  his  boyhood  a  dreamer  and  idler,  a  strange 
child,  who  loved  to  roam  abroad  over  the  flat, 
unlovely  fields,  silent  and  alone,  or  with  a  stick 
in  hand  beating  time  to  some  wild  melodies  he 
sang  or  whistled.  The  mother  saw  him  grow  up, 
first  with  fear,  then  with  admiration.  He  had 
the  face  and  manner  of  one  whom  she  wished 
to  forget  and  could  never  forget.  Sometimes  a 
tone  in  the  child's  voice,  an  expression  on  his 
face,  startled  her.  It  was  so  like  one  whom  she 
should  hate  and  once  did  love.  For  the  father, 


2g  ZEGELDA  ROMANIEF. 

the  boy  was  a  sore  vexation  and  trial.  He  would 
not  work  except  on  compulsion,  and  this  was  a 
grievous  sin.  The  other  boys  were  good  enough, 
and  would  go  for  the  cows  or  help  in  the  field. 
The  eldest  boy  was  an  idler,  a  disgrace  to  his 
father's  name.  He  had  been  to  school ;  but  he 
made  no  progress  there,  and  he  was  taken  back 
to  the  farm.  His  mother  had  wished  him  to  stay 
longer  at  school,  but  his  father  objected.  His 
mother  then  began  to  teach  him  herself  in  secret ; 
and  at  last,  seeing  the  passionate  love  of  his  wife 
for  the  boy,  he  had  consented  that  she  might 
teach  him  one  day  every  week.  Other  children 
had  come ;  but,  fpr  some  reason,  she  never  gave 
them  the  special  education  she  bestowed  on  him. 
So  it  happened  that,  in  time,  he  was  much  better 
educated  than  his  brothers  and  sisters.  Among 
other  things,  she  had  taught  him  all  she  knew  of 
music. 

In  time,  the  mother's  instruction  bore  unex- 
pected fruit.  The  boy  became  more  of  a  reader 
than  worker,  more  of  student  than  farmer.  He 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF.  2Q 

loved  more  to  wander  through  the  scanty  timber 
in  the  intervale,  to  sing  in  the  village  choir,  than 
to  work  on  the  farm.  His  father  complained 
bitterly  of  what  he  called  his  idleness,  but  his 
mother  always  took  his  part.  At  last,  the  differ- 
ence between  himself  and  father  concerning  his 
labor  on  the  farm  had  grown  so  serious  that,  with 
the  secret  assistance  of  his  mother,  he  had  run 
away  from  home,  and  had  arrived,  two  years 
since,  alone  and  almost  penniless  in  the  city. 

By  good  luck,  his  pleasant  voice  and  readiness 
to  please  all  he  met  won  him  a  place  in  a  church 
choir.  The  church  had  employed  his  time  only 
one  day  in  the  week;  and  the  salary,  by  the  aid 
of  the  most  rigid  economy,  kept  him  from  want. 
He  might  have  spent  the1  remaining  six  days  in 
some  other  employment;  but  he  chose  rather  to 
earn  less  and  learn  more.  He  sang  on  the  Sab- 
bath, and  spent  the  week-days  in  study.  First, 
he  had  tried,  as  best  he  could,  to  repair  his 
general  education  by  reading;  and  at  the  Public 
Library  he  found  the  right  tools,  books.  Sec- 


^Q  ZEGELDA  ROMAN '1 EF. 

ondly,  he  studied  music,  and  particularly  church 
music.  He  went  as  often  as  the  chance  offered 
to  week-day  services,  he  heard  all  the  organs 
possible.  He  read  and  actually  sang  through 
(for  he  often  had  no  piano)  all  the  books  of 
church  music  he  could  beg  or  borrow.  His  dream 
was  to  discover  or  create  something  better,  some- 
thing more  effective,  more  artistic,  than  the  ordi- 
nary church  music  he  heard  in  the  Protestant 
churches  of  the  city.  He  had  even  gone  so  far 
as  to  map  out  an  ideal  church  choir. 

With  all  this,  the  actual  outcome  of  his  life 
seemed  to  be  only  want  and  failure.  He  had 
gained  a  footing  in  a  good  and  well-paid  choir ; 
but  he  had  made  many  changes,  and  once  was 
out  of  work  for  a  whole  month,  which  nearly 
reduced  him  to  beggary.  With  all  this,  he  had 
faith  in  himself,  and  felt  sure  he  would  one  day 
succeed.  He  had  thought  he  might,  perhaps, 
teach  music.  Some  persons  made  a  good  deal 
of  money  by  teaching;  but  a  brief  trial  with  one 
poor  pupil,  who  could  not  pay  anything,  con- 


ZEGELDA  ROMA  XI EP.  3 1 

vinced  him  that  he  had  no  gift  in  that  direction. 
The  position  in  the  choir  at  St.  Clement's  had 
supported  him  with  difficulty ;  and  now  it  was 
gone,  and  through  no  fault  of  his  own.  He 
looked  about  the  bare  little  room,  with  its  faded 
carpet  and  well-worn  furniture,  and  wondered  if 
all  his  life  was  to  be  passed  in  such  poor  quarters. 
Suddenly  there  seemed  to  be  on  the  air  a  faint 
hint  of  music.  Then  there  was  silence  for  a  mo- 
ment. Then  it  came  again,  louder  and  clearer, — 
a  pure  though  childish  soprano,  fluttering  from 
note  to  note,  like  a  bird  trying  its  wings  for  a 
bolder  flight.  Then  it  ran  quickly  up  the  scale 
for  two  full  octaves,  and  back  again,  in  confident 
ease  and  precision.  It  was  the  child  in  the  next 
room. 

A  moment  after,  there  was  a  timid  knock  at 
the  door,  and  the  child  herself  looked  in. 

Sebastian  bid  her  enter ;  and  she  came  into  the 
room,  and  stood  looking  at  him  curiously.  Then 
she  seemed  to  gain  confidence,  for  she  came 
nearer  and  said, — 


^2  ZEGELDA  ROMANIEF. 

"Mother  sent  me  to  thank  you,  sir,  for  the 
night's  shelter.  I  don't  know  what  we  could  have 
done  without  your  help." 

"  Oh,  never  mind !  You  have  paid  me  al- 
ready." 

"  Paid  you,  sir  ? " 

"Yes, —  by  singing 

"Oh!  you  heard  me  in  the  next  room.  I  al- 
ways sing  when  I  am  happy.  The  birds  do  so. 
I  suppose  they  must  be  always  happy." 

"  Have  you  been  to  breakfast  ?  " 

"  Yes :  the  woman  downstairs  called  us  early, 
and  gave  us  a  good  breakfast.  I  think  all  I  need 
now  is  a  piano." 

"The  landlady  has  a  piano  downstairs.  She 
lets  me  use  it  at  night." 

"Night  is  a  good  way  off." 

"Yes;  but  in  the  day-time  she  uses  the  room 
for  her  business." 

"  Oh ! "  said  the  child,  with  a  look  of  pleased 
curiosity.  "  You  play  the  piano  ?  Perhaps  you 
sing,  also.  I  knew  by  your  face  you  were  Ro- 
many." 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


33 


"Romany!     What's  that?" 

"  Gypsy.     I  am  Romany.     My  name  is  Zegelda." 

"Oh,  I'm  not  a  gypsy  at  all.  My  name  is 
Sebastian  Strove.  I  am  an  American.  My  mother 
came  from  Massachusetts.  My  father  was  a  Nor- 
wegian." 

"That  makes  no  difference.  You  have  the 
Romany  look  in  your  eyes.  You  love  music. 
We  all  do, —  we  Romany  folk." 

The  child  had  come  nearer  to  him,  and  stood 
by  his  side,  with  evident  pleasure.  She  was  pale 
and  thin,  and  yet  very  beautiful.  She  seemed  to 
be  quite  young,  and  yet  with  her  youth  there  was 
just  a  hint  of  approaching  maidenhood.  Her  eyes 
were  dark  and  luminous,  and  her  hair  long  and 
deep  black.  She  laid  one  hand  on  his  arm,  and 
.  the  touch  seemed  to  thrill  him.  It  was  a  cling- 
ing touch,  as  if  she  looked  to  him  for  protection. 
In  all  his  life,  he  had  never  seen  so  much  of 
girlish  beauty  and  confidence. 

"I  shall  like  you." 

"I   am   glad   to   know  it,"  he   replied,  and  was 


*.  ZEGELDA     ROMAX1EF. 

at  once  surprised  that  he  should  have  said  so. 
-"Tell  me  more  about  yourself.  Where  did  you 
come  from  ?  Who  were  your  father  and  mother  ?  " 

"  My  father  was  Romany.  His  name  was  Ro- 
manief.  He  came  to  this  country  long  since,  and 
settled  —  in  that  Eastern  State  with  the  long 
name.  You  said  it  just  now." 

"  Massachusetts  ? " 

"Yes,  it  was  Massachusetts.,  In  a  town  they 
called  —  I  forget  it  now.  I  shall  remember  it 
presently.  He  taught  music  there.  He  had  much 
of  your  looks.  He  was  an  artist,  a  great  singer, 
though  those  cold  and  stupid  Eastern  people 
knew  it  not.  Then  he  travelled  out  West,  and 
married  my  mother;  and  they  sing  in  concerts, 
and  teach  music.  I,  too,  sing  in  concerts,  till  we 
grew  very  poor.  At  last,  we  were  so  po'or  we 
travel  from  town  to  town  on  foot.  It  was  thus 
he  was  killed  on  the  railroad.  Ah  !  now  I  recall 
the  place  where  he  once  lived.  It  was  Worcester, 
Massachusetts." 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Be  not  afraid. — Elijah. 

THE  musical  life  has  always  been  the  subject 
of  both  praise  and  blame.  To  many  persons, 
the  peculiar  emotional  temperament  that  marks 
the  musician  seems  admirable.  For  others,  the 
musical  life  appears  strange,  unreal,  and  un- 
practical, a  kind  of  emotional  craze,  ruinous  to 
business  and  quite  incompatible  with  a  good 
bank  account. 

In  Sebastian  Strove,  the  farmer  lad  from  Illi- 
nois, appears  one  phase  of  the  musical  life.  He 
stands  for  the  newer  art-life  of  this  country, —  en- 
thusiastic, earnest,  and  yet  intensely  and  really 
practical.  Willing  to  sacrifice  ease  and  money  to 
attain  his  end,  which  is  musical  culture ;  appar- 
ently unthrifty  and  thoughtless  of  the  future,  and 
yet  looking  beyond  the  near  future  to  that  far- 
ther future,  where  he  sees  greater  rewards  in  art. 


36  ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

Zegelda  is  a  type  of  the  older  musical  tempera- 
ment,—  very  emotional,  intensely  egotistical,  easily 
moved,  and  careless  of  everything  save  music. 
Having  made  each  other's  acquaintance,  they 
seemed  to  readily  understand  each  other's  hopes 
and  aspirations.  They  both  wished  to  live  the 
musical  life.  To  illustrate  her  character,  we  may 
notice  that  neither  she  nor  her  mother  knew 
where  they  were  to  sleep  that  night,  nor  were 
they  positive  as  to  their  next  meal,  and  yet  she 
said, — 

"  I  think  all  I  now  need  is  a  piano." 
Sebastian  had  heard  the  reference  to  Worces- 
ter, his  mother's  former  home,  with  surprise. 
Could  there  be  any  possible  connection  between 
this  girl's  father  and  his  mother?  The  thought 
passed  through  his  mind,  but  he  dismissed  it  at 
once.  For  the  girl  there  was,  of  course,  nothing 
remarkable  in  the  fact.  She  knew  nothing  of 
Sebastian's  family  history ;  and  yet  this  mere 
mention  of  the  town  was  the  little  cloud  that, 
like  as  a  man's  hand,  had  risen  above  their 
horizon. 


ZEGELDA     ROAfANIEF. 


37 


There  was  no  piano  in  the  house  except  in  the 
landlady's  parlor ;  and,  as  that  room  was  used  in 
the  day-time  in  her  millinery  business,  it  could 
not  be  opened. 

"  If  you  will  put  on  your  things,  we  will  go 
down  town,  and  see  if  we  can  find  a  piano." 

"  Then  you  must  be  rich.  I'm  glad  of  it,  for 
I  really  need  a  piano." 

"  Rich  !  Oh,  no  !  Far  from  it.  I'm  quite  poor. 
I  had  a  good  place  yesterday,  but  I  lost  it." 

The  girl  looked  at  him  with  wide-open  eyes, 
and  said  seriously, — 

"I  knew  you  were  Romany.  Never  mind,  your 
luck  will  turn  to-day.  I  will  put  on  my  things  at 
once." 

With  that  she  disappeared.  What  a  singular 
child, —  no,  woman!  She  was  a  woman  a  child- 
woman.  In  spite  of  his  matter-of-fact  training, 
he  smiled  to  himself.  What  if  his  luck  should 
change !  It  had  been  running  the  wrong  way  a 
long  time. 

"  Pshaw  !     There's  no  such  thing  as  luck." 


*g  ZEGELDA  ROMAN  I EF. 

Yet  luck  was  at  the  door,  for  just  then  the 
girl  returned.  Her  well-worn  cloak  and  hat 
seemed  transformed,  and  she  really  looked  quite 
presentable.  She  came  in  with  a  light,  half-danc- 
ing step,  and  with  shining  eyes  and  a  bright 
smile. 

"This  house  is  lucky.  The  woman  down-stairs 
gave  my  mother  seventy-five  cents  to  work  for 
her  to-day,  making  bows  for  hats.  We  shall  now 
have  a  good  dinner.  Perhaps  you  will  dine  with 
us.  She  also  gave  me  a  piece  of  ribbon,  and  I 
pinned  it  into  my  hat.  Is  it  not  pretty  ?  " 

She  stood  looking  at  him,  and  all  the  while 
turning  her  head  this  way  and  that  in -a  bird-like 
fashion,  and  softly  singing  to  her  self.  What  a 
wonderful  voice  she  had !  It  seemed  to  Sebas- 
tian to  thrill  him,  just  as  the  touch  of  her  hand 
on  his  arm  had  done. 

His  silence  seemed  to  trouble  her,  and  she 
stopped  singing  and  said  gravely, — 

"  Are  you  offended,  sir  ?  Perhaps  it  was  wrong 
for  mother  to  ask  for  work." 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


39 


"No,  I'm  not  offended.  I  am  glad  she  has 
found  something  to  do.  I  was  thinking  of  your 
voice." 

"I  have  a  good  voice,  and  I  mean  to  make  a 
great  singer.  I  have  sung  in  concerts  often." 

This  she  said  with  straightforward  simplicity, 
as  if  it  was  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world. 

"  Did  you  ever  sing  in  church  ?  " 

"No.  I  should  not  wish  to.  It's  so  dark  in 
churches,  and  the  people  —  they  look  so  un- 
happy." 

The  young  man  laughed  at  this  commentary, 
and  said  simply, — 

"  I  fear  you  do  not  know  much  about  it 
Come,  let  us  go  and  find  a  piano." 

It  is  doubtful  if  the  young  man  knew  exactly 
what  he  intended  to  do.  He  had  a  vague  idea 
that  he  might  hire  a  piano  for  the  girl.  His  in- 
come was  just  nothing  a  day.  To  hire  even  the 
cheapest  piano  would  necessitate  the  payment  of 
cartage,  if  not  advance  payment  of  the  rent;  and 
his  total  assets  were  barely  sufficient  to  support 


4O  ZEGELDA    ROMAN  I EF. 

him  a  month.  Of  course,  a  few  moments'  reflec- 
tion showed  him  he  could  not  hire  a  piano.  Be- 
sides, where  could  it  be  sent?  The  child  had  no 
roof  over  her  head,  much  less  room  for  a  piano. 
With  all  this,  he  steadily  kept  in  view  the  fact 
that  the  girl  had  something  of  the  art-life  in  her, 
and  that  he  would  help  her  as  far  as  it  lay  in 
his  power. 

Zegelda  walked  on  beside  him  through  the 
streets,  in  happy  confidence.  What  he  intended 
to  do  she  did  not  know,  but  she  felt  confident 
that,  in  some  way,  he  would  find  a  piano  for 
her.  Presently  they  entered  one  of  the  principal 
avenues  of  the  city,  and  came  to  an  elegant 
establishment  for  the  sale  of  pianos.  Through 
the  plate  glass  windows  could  be  seen  a  number 
of  costly  upright  pianos. 

"  Oh,  how  beautiful !  If  I  had  a  piano  like 
one  of  those,  I  should  care  for  nothing  else  in 
the  world." 

"  Let  us  go  in,"  said  Sebastian.  "  I  wish  to 
see  some  of  the  people  here.  I  will  not  keep 
you  waiting  long." 


7.RGELDA     ROMANIEF.  ,j 

The  girl  entered  the  warerooms  timidly,  and 
advanced  towards  a  piano  in  an  ebonized  case, 
rich  with  carvings  of  birds  and  flowers.  She 
paused  in  silent  admiration  before  it,  forgetful  of 
everything  about  her.  She  had  never  seen  any- 
thing so  splendid,  and  yet  it  seemed  quite 
proper.  Anything  that  had  to  do  with  music 
should  be  beautiful.  She  walked  about  it,  looked 
at  it  from  every  side,  and  even  touched  the  keys 
with  one  hand  in  a  soft,  caressing  manner.  The 
piano  seemed  to  whisper  as  if  it  dreamed.  The 
sound  appeared  to  nave  no  tangible  quality,  but 
to  be  only  a  shadow  of  music, —  an  echo  of  har- 
mony, as  if  the  dumb  instrument  recognized  its 
mistress. 

When  Sebastian  entered  the  store,  he  left 
Zegelda  by  the  door,  intending,  himself  to  go  to 
the  counting-room  at  the  rear  of  the  place,  and 
ask  for  the  loan  of  one  of  the  rooms  provided 
by  the  firm  for  the  use  of  musical  people. 
There  were  several  rooms  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  building,  each  warmed  and  provided  with  a 


42  ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

piano  ;  and  it  was  Sebastian's  intention  to  obtain 
one  of  these  rooms,  and  to  take  the  girl  there 
and  try  her  voice,  and  see  if  by  its  use  anything 
could  be  done  for  her  support.  This  intention, 
while  it  may  serve  to  show  his  thoughtful  and 
practical  character,  he  did  not  carry  out. 

In  passing  through  the  long  wareroom,  he 
came  upon  a  party  of  four  gentlemen  earnestly 
talking  together.  One  of  them  he  remembered  as 
an  agent  for  professional  singers.  This  person, 
Mr.  Sill  by  name,  had  an  office  in  the  city,  where 
he  kept  a  list  of  singers,  choirs,  and  concert 
companies ;  and  it  was  his  self-elected  mission  in 
the  musical  world  to  act  as  a  go-between  among 
these  parties.  He  found  singers  for  choirs  and 
business  for  concert  troops,  and  even  dabbled  in 
concerts  himself,  by  which  speculative  ventures 
he  generally  managed  to  burn  everybody's  fingers 
but  his  own.  Sebastian,  on  his  first  arrival  in  the 
city,  had  been  led  by  an  advertisement  to  apply 
to  him,  and  had  even  paid .  him  ten  dollars  for 
assistance  in  finding  a  place  in  some  choir,  which 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF.  j* 

assistance,  as  -was  his  custom,  the  said  Sill  had 
never  rendered.  Personally,  the  creature  was  short 
and  fat,  with  a  partially  bald  head,  and  with  small 
gray  eyes  and  a  stubby  red  moustache.  His  whole 
make-up  was  repulsive  and  disagreeable,  and  Se- 
bastian had  intended  to  pass  him  by  without  no- 
tice ;  but  the  man  saw  him,  and  came  hastily 
toward  him,  and  said  in  a  whisper, — 

"Morning,  sir.  Would  you  like  a  place  at  St. 
Clement's  ? " 

"Thank  you,  I  left  there  only  yesterday." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  forgot.  I  think  I  got  you  the 
place  at  first.  Well,  they  made  a  clean  sweep 
of  it ;  and  now  they  have  formed  a  new  choir,  all 
but  the  tenor.  If  you  will  give  me  ten  per  cent, 
of  the  salary  for  the  first  three  months,  I'll  get 
you  the  place." 

"They  turned  me  out  with  the  rest.  It  is  use- 
less to  think  they  would  take  me  back." 

"Yes,  they  will,  if  I  say  so.  They  know  me. 
I'll  answer  for  you.  It  will  be  only  ten  per  cent." 

"  I've  paid  you  ten  dollars  already,  and  you 
never  brought  me  a  single  opening." 


44 


ZE  GELD  A     R  OMA  NIEF. 


"  Oh,  yes,  I  forgot !  I  will  call  that  on  account. 
I  was  thinking  I  did  something  for  you." 

With  that,  he  moved  away  toward  the  group  of 
gentlemen.  After  a  brief  consultation,  the  busi- 
ness was  settled.  Sebastian  explained  that  he 
was  not  in  any  way  to  blame  for  the  music  of  the 
day  before.  A  memoranda  of  agreement  was 
drawn  up,  and  it  really  seemed  as  if,  as  the  girl 
had  said,  his  luck  had  turned.  Just  as  Sebastian 
was  about  to  sign  the  paper,  there  seemed  to  be 
on  the  air  a  pure  and  beautiful  note,  sustained 
by  almost  unheard  harmony  from  a  piano.  One 
of  the  elder  gentlemen  looked  over  his  glasses 
toward  the  door  in  surprise.  Mr.  Sill  was  for 
a  moment  startled,  but  pretended  indifference. 
Immediately  after  the  business  was  settled,  the 
gentleman  who  had  listened  to  the  voice  from  the 
piano  moved  toward  the  door.  Sebastian  looked 
about,  and  noticed  that  other  people  seemed  to 
have  been  listening;  and  he  was  in  momentary 
alarm  lest  Zegelda  would  sing  again,  and  attract 
farther  attention  to  herself.  Not  that  he  was 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN1EF. 


45 


ashamed  to  have  brought  her  there,  but  he  felt 
instinctively  that  she  was  impulsive  and  thought- 
less, and  that  she  might  commit  some  breach  of 
propriety  in  this  rather  severe  and  elegant  place. 
He  bid  the  gentlemen  good-morning,  and  moved 
toward  the  door,  only  to  find  that  the  agent  was 
following  him. 

"  You  ought  to  make  it  twenty  per  cent. ;  for 
the  place  is  a  good  one,  and  you  are  sure  to 
keep  it." 

"  You  said  your  terms  were  ten  per  cent.  I 
will  give  you  that,,  less  the  ten  dollars,  at  the 
end  of  the  first  quarter." 

"You  couldn't  make  a  little*advance  now?  I'm 
very  short  to-day." 

The  fact  that  the  man  had  a  well-filled  purse 
made  no  difference.  It  was  his  instinct  to  plun- 
der wherever  he  thought  he  could. 

"  No,  sir,  I  have  no  money  to-day.  You  must 
wait  till  I  earn  something." 

By  this  time,  they  had  advanced  to  the  front 
of  the  wareroom.  Mr.  Sill  made  a  note  in  his 


46 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 


memoranda,  and  passed  out  into  the  street  with- 
out noticing  Zegelda,  who  stood  by  the  piano. 
She  drew  near  to  Sebastian,  and  he  observed 
that  she  was  pale  and  trembling  with  excite- 
ment. Her  black  eyes  seemed  to  blaze  with 
passionate  anger  after  the  retreating  form  of  the 
agent  on  the  walk  outside. 
"  Do  you  know  him  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes.      It  is  Mr.  Sill,  the  musical  agent." 
"  I   know   him.      He   is   not   always   called    Sill. 
He    goes    by    other    names    at    times.       I    hate 
him." 

"  Hate  him  !     Why,  what  has  he  done    to  you  ? 
Where  did  you  ever  meet  him  ? " 

"I  hate  him  —  it  is  enough  —  I  hate  him." 
The  girl's  passionate  outbreak  against  the  mu- 
sical agent  was  an  unpleasant  surprise  to  Sebas- 
tian. It  was  a  new  revelation  of  her  character; 
and  he  moved  toward  the  street  door  without 
making  any  comment  on  her  invective,  and  said 
quietly  that  they  must  go.  Without  a  word,  she 
followed  him  into  the  street,  and  walked  on  by 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF.  A~ 

47 

his  side  in  silence.  What  could  he  do  with 
the  girl  ?  He  could  not  ask  for  the  use  of  a 
room  and  piano  after  such  an  episode  in  the 
warerooms.  He  began  to  feel  that  perhaps  he 
had  made  a  mistake.  Why  'should  he  trouble 
himself  about  this  strange  girl  ?  Perhaps,  after 
all,  she  was  not  worthy  any  special  pains.  His 
financial  affairs  were  certainly  improved,  he  was 
better  able  to  help  her,  and  yet  he  felt  inclined 
to  shake  her  off,  and  let  her  take  care  of  her- 
self as  best  she  might. 

Just  then  he  felt  her  arm  steal  into  his,  and 
rest  there  confidingly.  He  turned  to  look  at  her, 
and  saw  a  tear  trembling  on  her  cheek. 

"  O  sir,  you  are  angry  with  me  !  I  am  very 
sorry." 

"  No  :  I  am  net  angry, —  only  sorry  you  should 
have  spoken  so  rudely  of  Mr.  Sill  in  the  ware- 
rooms/' 

"  His  name  is  not  Sill.  He  is  a  thief.  He 
robbed  my  father,  and  I  hate  him.  I  shall  tell 
you  about  him  some  time  —  not  now." 


48 


ZEGELDA  ROMAN  I EF. 


He   made   no    reply  to    this,    and    they  walked 
on  for  some   moments   in   silence.     She   still   kept 
his  arm,  and  seemed  to   cling   to   him   for   protec- 
tion.    At   first,   he  was    annoyed.     Had   she   been 
a  girl  near  his   own   age,  he  would  have   dropped 
her  arm   and   resented   the   familiarity.      She  was 
only  a  child,   and   he    could    not    resist    the    im- 
pulse  to   draw   her  arm  closer   within   his   own. 
"  You  will  forgive  me,  sir,  will  you  not  ?  " 
"  Why,  certainly.     It's  of  no  consequence  now." 
"  Oh,  I  am  very  glad ! "  she  said   gayly.     "  And 
now,   if    you    please,    I    think    I    should    have    a 
piano.      I   will   be   very   sweet   and    good,   if    you 
will  get  one." 

The  abrupt  change  in  her  manner,  from  tear- 
ful entreaty  to  merry  banter,  was  another  reve- 
lation. Could  it  be  she  was  utterly  shallow  and 
thoughtless,  or  was  there  more  below  this  shift- 
ing surface  ? 

"  I  really  ough't  not  to  miss  my  practice   hour." 

"  You   are   right :  you   must  practise  every  day. 

So   must   I,    for   it   is   the    only  road    to    success 


Z  EG  ELD  A     ROMANIEF.  ,g 

in  music.  I  meant  to  have  asked  for  the  use 
of  a  piano  at  the  warerooms ;  but  I  met  some 
gentlemen  who  made  me  an  offer  to  sing  in 
church,  and  the  business  put  the  piano  quite  out 
of  my  mind." 

"  Do  you  get  much  money  for  singing  in 
church  ?  " 

"The   salary  is   very  good." 

"  I  told  you  good  luck  would  come  to-day." 

"  I  hope  so.  My  luck  has  been  against  me 
so  far." 

"  Never  mind,  sir.  Ft  will  change  after  this. 
I  feel  sure  of  it." 

There  must  be  something  of  the  gypsy  in  the 
girl.  Her  mobile  face,  constantly  varying  in  ex- 
pression ;  her  gayety  and  lightness  of  manner ; 
her  ready  tears,  almost  dropping  amid  her  laughter, 
—  puzzled  and  yet  charmed  him.  It  was  a  new 
and  delicious  sensation  to  have  her  by  his  side. 
The  busy  street  and  gay  shops  appeared  to 
excite  her,  and  she  talked  rapidly  and  in  happy 
ease,  as  if  she  had  known  him  all  her  life,  and 


C0  ZEGELDA     ROMAN1EF. 

as  if  the  problem  of  obtaining  the  next  meal 
and  that  night's  lodging  had  no  existence.  He 
explained  to  her  that  he  had  intended  to  borrow 
the  use  of  a  piano  and  try  her  voice,  but  that 
the  business  had  prevented,  and  that  after  din- 
ner he  would  see  what  could  be  done  about  it. 

"  Yes :  I  suppose  I  must  have  a  dinner.  I 
hope  the  woman  who  gave  mother  the  work  will 
pay  her  something  by  noon ;  for  we  haven't  a  cent 
in  the  world." 

"You  shall  dine  with  me,"  said  Sebastian,  in 
a  sudden  burst  of  generosity.  "  Here's  a  good 
restaurant.  Let  us  go  in." 

"Thank  you,  sir:  you  are  very  kind.  We  might 
have  some  oysters  and  half  a  chicken  and  some 
cream." 

The  proposal  nearly  took  his  breath  away. 
Such  a  bill  of  fare  would  cost  more  than  ten 
meals  at  home.  Yet  he  led  her  into  the  restau- 
rant and  took  seats,  and  actually  began  to  write 
an  order  for  oysters,  spring  chicken,  and  ice- 
cream, when  she  laid  her  hand, on  his  arm,  and 
said  gravely, — 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF.  rj 

"Perhaps  the  oysters  and  chicken  might  not 
agree  with  me.  Let  us  order  a  steak.  It  will 
be  enough  for  two." 

Was  she  child  or  woman,  gypsy  sprite  or  sober 
New  England  maiden  with  more  sense  than  com- 
mon ?  The  steak  was  ample  for  them  both  ;  and 
she  said  she  really  did  not  care  for  the  cream, 
so  the  order  was  not  given.  For  the  young  man, 
brought  up  in  the  hard  life  of  a  Western  farm, 
unfamiliar  with  the  art  temperament,  and  still 
less  familiar  with  young  feminine  society,  the  lit- 
tle dinner  was  a  royal  feast,  the  most  delight- 
ful meal  he  had  ever  eaten. 

He  was  as  good  as  his  word,  and  that  after- 
noon took  her  to  another  piano  warehouse,  where 
he  obtained  the  use  of  a  piano  and  room  for 
an  hour.  Zegelda  sang  for  him  for  some  time, 
while  he  listened  in  silence.  She  asked  what 
he  thought  of  her  voice,  but  he  put  her  off  with 
vague  compliments,  that  seemed  to  satisfy  her~ 
completely.  Then  they  went  home,  Sebastian 
talking  but  little  and  letting  her  chatter  on 


C2  ZEGELDA  ROMANIEF. 

rather   idly.     He  had   made   a   discovery,  perhaps 
two.     He  must  think  about  it. 

Luck  really  seemed  to  have  come  to  the 
house.  Zegelda's  mother  had  so  far  satisfied 
the  milliner  that  she  had  given  her  a  week's 
work,  and  had  offered  her  and  the  child  a  home 
in  her  house,  and  had  even  made  a  small  cash 
payment  in  advance.  The  practising  question 
was  also  arranged  by  allowing  Zegelda  the  use 
of  the  piano  in  the  night ;  and,  by  sitting  up 
late  and  rising  late  in  the  morning,  five  hours' 
practice  could  be  secured  without  injury-  to  her 
health. 

On  the  following  Saturday,  Sebastian  went  to 
the  rehearsal  at  St.  Clement's,  and  so  far  pleased 
the  new  organist  and  director  that  they  wel- 
comed him  as  a  valuable  addition  to  the  choir. 
At  ten  o'clock,  Sunday  morning,  while  in  his 
room,  preparing  to  go  to  the  church,  there  came 
a  knock  at  his  door;  and,  thinking  it  might  be 
the  landlady,  he  bid  her  come  in. 

It  was   a   young  woman,   neatly,  almost   hand- 


ZEGEL  DA     ROMA  NIEF. 


53 


somely,  dressed  in  some  dark  stuff  that  was  won- 
derfully becoming.  He  looked  at  her  in  sur- 
prise for  a  moment ;  and  then  her  grave  and 
handsome  face  broke  into  smiles,  and  with  a 
laugh  she  bowed,  and  said, — 

"Miss  Romanief  —  at  your  service,  -sir.  And 
please,  sir,  may  I  go  to  church  with  you  ?  I 
never  went  to  church  in  my  life." 

"  Never  went  to  church,  Zegelda  ?  " 

"  Well,  yes,  I've  looked  in  once  or  twice  with 
mother.  Father  did  not  wish  me  to  go  to 
church.  It  seemed  so  dark  and  sad,  and  the 
people  looked  very  unhappy.  Perhaps  it  would 
be  different,  if  I  went  with  you.  " 

Then  she  came  nearer,  and  said  with  childlike 
simplicity, — 

"The  landlady  gave  me  the  material, —  it's 
one  of  her  old  dresses, —  and  I.  made  it  up  my- 
self. Isn't  it  very  pretty  ?  Mother  made  the  bat 
for  me." 

"  They  are  both  very  pretty,  but  the  dress 
makes  you  look  like  a  woman." 


54 


Z  EG  ELD  A     ROMANIEF. 


"  I  am  a  woman,"  she  said  gravely,  as  if  it 
was  an  important  fact.  Then  she  changed  her 
manner  in  an  instant,  and  said :  "  You  are  not 
polite.  You  should  say,  '  Mr.  Sebastian  Strove 
will  be  greatly  pleased  with  Miss  Romanief's 
company  at  church.'  " 

"  I  will.  I  shall  be  ready  in  five  minutes,  and 
call  for  you." 

"  Miss  Romanief  presents  her  compliments  to 
Mr.  Strove,  and  will  accept  his  kind  invitation 
with  pleasure."  Then,  with  a  rippling  laugh,  she 
swept  out  of  the  room,  and  in  a  moment  a  glori- 
ous voice  made  the  .cheap  and  dingy  lodging- 
house  re-echo  with  bravura  cadenzas. 

The  young  man  pulled  on  his  well-worn 
gloves,  and  muttered  to  himself  that  things  were 
getting  dangerous.  She  was  not  a  child  at  all ; 
or,  if  a  child,  she  was  just  stepping  into  a 
beautiful  maidenhood  before  his  eyes.  The 
wan,  pinched  face  of  the  girl  of  a  week  ago 
seemed  to  belong  to  some  long-distant  past.  This 
was  another  Zegelda, —  a  young  woman  of  almost 


ZEGELDA    ROMAN  I EF. 


55 


boundless  talent,  that  seemed  to  hint  at  undis- 
covered possibilities-  in  the  future.  What  had  he 
to  do  with  such  a  being  ? 

She  walked  gravely  by  his  side  on  the  way  to 
church,  among  a  throng  of  fashionable  people, 
as  self-possessed,  as  ladylike,  and  more  beautiful 
than  any  of  them.  People  turned  to  look  after 
the  tall,  lank  youth,  in  well-worn  suit,  and  the 
beauty  beside  him.  He  was  aware  of  the  ad- 
miration the  passers  bestowed  upon  her.  Had 
he  heard  their  remarks  about  her  and  about  him- 
self, he  might  have  wondered  greatly.  At  first, 
he  was  jealous  of  the  admiration  she  evidently 
won.  Yet  she  was  only  his  child-ward,  a  poor 
girl  who  had  needed  and  claimed  his  help, — 
merely  a  beggar  waif  from  the  street. 

As  they  drew  near  the  church,  Zegelda  glanced 
up  at  the  Gothic  steeple,  rich  in  stone  foliage, 
that  seemed  to  grow  from  bud  to  flower,  till  it 
blossomed  into  a  cross  at  the  top. 

"  Why  do  churches  have  steeples  ?  " 
» 

The    question,    coming    from     such     a     child, 


C5  ZEGELDA     ROMANIES. 

startled  him,  and  for  a  moment  he  was  at  a  loss 
for  an  answer. 

"  I  really  don't  know,  unless  it  be  to  lead  the 
people's  thoughts  to  heaven." 

"  I  think  it  must  be  that ;  for  it  is  like  poetry. 
It  is  odd  that  men  should  think  to  put  a  song 
into  stone." 

There  was  a  great  multitude  about  the  doors 
of  the  church,  and  they  found  some  difficulty  in 
entering  the  Gothic  porch.  They  pressed  through 
the  throng,  and  in  a  moment  stood  within  the 
church,  in  the  dim  light,  the  soft,  warm  air,  and 
with  the  lofty  roof  spread  out  in  dusky  arches 
over  their  heads. 

"  How  beautiful !  " 

"  Hush !  Do  not  speak  so  loud ! "  said  Sebas- 
tian, with  just  a  shade  of  annoyance.  Some  of 
the  people  turned  to  see  who  thus  spoke  out  in 
admiration,  and  perhaps  they  lingered  a  moment 
after  to  look  at  the  child's  strange  beauty.  Se- 
bastian spoke  to  an  usher  near  by. 

"  Will  you   please    find   a  seat  for  this   young 
lady  ?     I  must  go  upstairs  myself." 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


57 


"  Yes,  sir ;  but  not  now.  The  regular  attend- 
ants must  be  provided  with  seats  first.  Let  the 
lady  wait  a  moment." 

"  Will  you  please  wait  here,  Zegelda,  till  the 
usher  finds  you  a  seat  ?  I  must  go  upstairs,  and 
after  church  I'll  meet  you  at  the  door." 

"  No,  no !  I  want  to  go  with  you.  Take  me 
with  you  to  the  stage  —  I  mean  the  place  where 
you  sing." 

Sebastian  bit  his  lip  with  vexation.  She  was 
a  perfect  child.  How  could  he  make  her  under- 
stand that  she  could  not  sit  in  the  choir  ?  He 
led  her  back  into  the  vestibule,  not  knowing 
what  to  do. 

"  I  am  musical.  Why  should  I  not  sit  with 
the  singers  ?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  they  will  not  permit  it." 

"  Then  I  must  go  home.  I  want  to  sit  with 
you.  I  will  be  very  good." 

She  said  this  in  a  childlike,  beseeching  manner, 
that  was  not  to  be  resisted.  Just  then  the  organ 
began,  and  he  knew  it  was  time  for  him  to  take 


eg  ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 

his  place  in  the  choir.  He  led  her  upstairs,  and 
at  the  entrance  of  the  organ-loft  he  met  the  gen- 
tleman who  sang  bass  in  the  choir,  and  who  was 
also  the  new  director  of  the  music. 

"  May  I  take  this  young  lady  into  the  choir 
with  me  ?  She  is  a  stranger  here,  and  does  not 
wish  to  sit  alone." 

"  Oh,  certainly.  Bring  her  in.  Your  sister,  I 
presume." 

"  Oh,  no  !    Only  a  friend." 

"  Indeed !  She's  the  image  of  you,  except  in 
color.  You  would  pass  for  brother  and  sister 
anywhere." 

The  speech  was  rather  startling ;  but,  in  the 
confusion  of  entering  the  choir  and  finding  a 
seat  for  Zegelda, —  who  seemed  to  be  quite  be- 
wildered by  the  surroundings, —  it  passed  without 
notice.  The  place  was  much  like  other  organ- 
lofts, —  a  narrow  gallery  at  the  end  of  the  church, 
with  the  organ  behind  and  a  low  railing,  with 
heavy  crimson  curtains,  in  front.  There  were 
three  people  there, —  two  ladies,  and,  behind  them, 


ZEGELDA  ROMANIEF. 


59 


at  the  desk,  the  organist.  Zegelda  was  given  a 
seat  next  Sebastian's,  at  the  left  of  the  choir. 
There  were  also  a  number  of  unoccupied  seats 
behind  her. 

For  this  child, —  all  her  life  roughly  knocked 
about  the  world,  accustomed  to  want,  to  per- 
petual change  and  travel,  familiar  only  with  the 
life  of  a  travelling  show-man,  and  having  a 
sensitive  and  artistic  temperament,  not  wholly 
blunted  by  poverty, —  the  place,  and,  above  all, 
the  music  from  the  organ,  was  a  revelation,  an 
unspeakable  delight  and  wonder.  Her  eyes  wan- 
dered from  the  organ  to  the  pointed  roof,  the 
stained  windows  glowing  with  living  color  in 
the  bright  sunlight,  the  peaceful  angels  looking 
calmly  down  from  the  bases  of  the  springing 
arches,  the  vast  throng  of  people  below  and 
around  her.  Everything  was  new  and  strange ; 
and  she  thought  the  people  must  love  music  to 
put  it  in  such  a  beautiful  house.  Oh,  if  she 
could  sing  in  such  a  place  as  this,  and  with 
Sebastian  !  Already  her  thoughts  seemed  to  turn 
to.  him  in  connection  with  her  life  and  music. 


gO  ZEGELDA  ROMAN  I EF. 

At  the  end  of  the  voluntary,  the  choir  stood  up 
to  sing.  Zegelda's  seat  was  a  little  in  advance  of 
the  others ;  and,  when  Sebastian  stood  up  with 
the  others,  he  was  directly  by  her  side,  as  she 
sat  hidden  behind  the  crimson  curtains. 

As  for  the  young  man,  he  .knew  that  this  was 
a  kind  of  trial  for  him.  If  he  pleased  the  peo- 
ple, all  would  be  well.  He  must  do  his  best. 
He  laid  the  music-book  on  the  rack  before  him, 
and  stood  up  with  the  others,  with  his  left  hand 
hanging  by  his  side.  The  anthem  began,  and 
went  on  easily ;  for  it  was  not  difficult.  The 
difficulties  were  ahead,  in  the  tenor  solo,  evi- 
dently selected  to  try  his  voice  and  style.  Sud- 
denly, he  felt  a  small  hand  placed  in  his.  He 
glanced  down,  to  see  Zegelda  looking  up  at  him 
with  beaming  eyes,  and  holding  his  hand  in  hers. 
It  was  an  encouragement.  He  must  do  his  best 
for  her  sake. 

Now  comes  the  solo.  He  took  it  up  con- 
fidently. Perhaps  something  of  the  child's  won- 
derful spirit  came  to  him  through  her  clinging 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF.  gj 

fingers.  He  felt  he  was  doing  well.  There  was 
a  profound  hush  over  all  the  people,  as  if  they 
had  caught  the  new  voice. 

"  The  Lord  is  in  his  holy  temple" 

Suddenly,  the  clasping  fingers  tightened  on  his ; 
and  she  pressed  close  to  his  side,  as  if  for  pro- 
tection. The  hand-clasp  seemed  to  be  full  of 
passionate  appeal  for  aid  and  comfort.  He 
glanced  down  at  her  face.  It  was  white  with 
alarm  and  terror.  What  had  happened  ?  Was 
she  ill  ?  Tears  stood  in  her  eyes,  that  seemed 
frozen  as  if  in  agony.  He  glanced  back,  and 
there,  on  the  steps  leading  down  into  the  choir, 
sat  —  squatting  like  a  toad  —  the  agent,  Sill. 

The  voice  faltered  for  an  instant.  Everything 
was  lost.  He  would  break  down.  Suddenly  there 
was  a  meaning  pressure  on  his  hand.  The  pale 
face  looking  up  at  him  had  a  wan  and  haggard 
smile.  He  was  safe.  It  was  her  spirit  in  the 
music. 

"  FOR  THE  LORD  is  IN   HIS   HOLY  TEMPLE.    LET   ALL 

THE   EARTH   KEEP    SILENCE." 


CHAPTER    V. 

Lift  thine  eyes  unto  the  mountains,  from  whence  cometh  help. —  ELIJAH. 

THE  young  man  finished  his  work,  and  sat 
down.  It  had  been  performed  without  apparent 
accident,  yet  he  felt  sure  it  was  a  failure.  He 
had  not  produced  the  effect  on  the  people  he 
had  intended.  The  time  and  place  forbidding 
any  sign  or  demonstration  of  any  kind,  the  peo- 
ple assumed  a  decorous  calm,  and  gave  their  at- 
tention to  the  sermon  that  followed  the  music. 
For  all  that,  their  decision  had  been  reached : 
the  young  man  was  not  wanted  in  that  church. 
Conscious  in  their  own  virtue,  and  knowing  tnoth- 
ing  of  the  scene  that  had  been  enacted  in  the 
choir,  they  decided  that  the  new  voice  did  not 
suit,  and  that  was  an  end  of  the  matter.  On 
the  morrow,  or  perhaps  after  church,  the  com- 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF.  g-> 

mittee  who  had  the  matter  in  charge  would  in- 
form the  singer  that  his  services  were  no  longer 
needed.  The  fact  that  he  had  already  sung  in  the 
choir  before,  they  seemed  to  forget,  and,  certainly, 
it  made  no  difference  in  their  opinion  concerning 
him. 

As  he  sat  down,  Sebastian  glanced  round  to 
see  if  the  agent  was  still  there,  and  felt  relieved 
to  find  he  had  disappeared.  The  mystery  of 
the  man's  movement,  the  child's  uncontrollable 
terror  in  his  presence,  and  the  dark  hints  she 
had  thrown  out  concerning  her  past  relations 
with  him,  combined  to  make  the  young  man  ap- 
prehensive both  for  himself  and  for  Zegelda. 
Her  silent  appeal  to  him  while  he  was  singing 
had  almost  been  the  cause  of  a  total  break-down 
in  the  music.  As  it  was,  he  had  with  difficulty 
saved  himself ;  and  any  defects  that  had  ap- 
peared in  his  performance  he  attributed  to  her 
interruption.  He  felt  sure  he  *  had  not  done  his 
best,  and  was  half-inclined  to  blame  her  for  it. 

Then   the    end  came,   and  the  people  prepared 


64 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEP. 


to  go  home.  The  organist  was  busy  over  his 
instrument,  and  said  not  a  word.  The  other 
members  *of  the  choir  talked  in  whispers  together, 
and  suffered  their  co-laborer  to  depart  without 
a  word  or  sign  of  recognition. 

It  would  seem  as  if  the  practice  of  so  beau- 
tiful an  art  as  music  would  make  people  sweeter, 
more  charitable,  and  better.  It  does  not  always, 
for  the  reason  that  many  who  think  they  love 
it  really  only  admire  it,  and  use  it  as  a  means  to 
gratify  their  vanity.  They  use  the  fine  language 
of  the  emotions  as  a  mask.  Their  music  seems 
the  expression  of  beautiful  thoughts,  whereas  their 
own  hearts  are  full  of  envy  and  all  uncharitable- 
ness.  These  people  had  recognized  that  the  new 
voice  was  one  of  unusual  excellence,  and  yet 
they  were  secretly  glad  he  had  failed.  At  the 
porch  the  committee  on  music  met  the  soprano 
singer  and  asked  her  how  she  liked  the  tenor. 

"Well,  there  are  tenors  and  tenors.  Mr. 
Sebastian  is  one  of  the  tenors." 

She  said  this  in  a  pronounced  and  pert  man- 
ner, the  committee  thought  infinitely  becoming. 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF.  £e 

"  Good  quality  ?  .  Oh,  yes,  good  enough ;  but 
no  method,  sir,  no  method, —  absolutely  no 
method.  Quite  wanting  in  style, —  I  may  say 
he  has  no  style,  no  style  whatever.  He  will  never 
do  in  the  world.  Your  people  want  more  style, 
more  vigor,  more  dash, —  as  the  French  say,  he 
should  be  more  spiritulle" 

The  young  lady's  rather  astounding  French 
made  a  deep  impression ;  and  the  committee  were 
on  the  point  of  saying  that  the  new  tenor  should 
be  dismissed  at  once,  and  a  singer  of  more  dash 
and  spirit  should  be 'engaged  in  his  place,  when 
an  elderly  person  in  black  silk  stepped  up  and 
said  quietly, — 

"  If  the  young  man  who  sang  in  the  choir  to- 
day is  not  retained,  I  shall  withdraw  my  sub- 
scription to  the  church  and  sell  my  pew.  He 
was  the  only  member  of  the  old  choir  who  was 
of  any  use,  and  he  must  remain  v.ith  us." 

The  soprano  turned  to  see  who  spoke,  and 
found  Miss  Tabatha  Brown,  a  maiden  lady  of 
mature  years,  standing  before  the  committee. 


56  ZEGELDA     KOMANIEF. 

Miss  Tabatha  Brown  was  a  person  to  be  feared  in 
the  church.  She  was  a  lady  of  enormous  wealth, 
and  rather  uncertain  temper.  It  was  she  who 
had  contributed  most  largely  to  the  building  of 
the  church.  She  had  put  in  the  organ  at  her  own 
expense  and  did  more  than  her  share  toward 
paying  the  choir.  With  all  this,  she  seldom  or 
never  interfered  in  any  way  with  the  control  of 
the  church  affairs.  Her  remark  had  therefore  ail 
the  more  weight. 

The  soprano  hastened  to  say  that  perhaps,  on 
farther  trial,  the  tenor  would  prove  more  satisfac- 
tory. 

"  As  you  say,  Miss,"  continued  Miss  Brown,  in 
a  rather  acidulated  manner,  "  the  people  want  a 
more  spiritulle  singer,  and  in  the  young  man  they 
had  it  to  perfection.  Your  French  was  quite  cor- 
rect, Miss." 

There  was  a  mischievous  twinkle  in  the  old 
lady's  eye,  as  she  said  this  ;  and  one  of  the 
committee  men  looked  into  his  hat  to  keep  from 
laughing.  Miss  Brown  brought  him  to  a  sense 
of  his  duty  by  saying  sharply, — 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


67 


"  I  trust,  sir,  you  will  consider  my  wishes. 
This  young  man  is  a  total  stranger  to  me,  but 
I  heard  him  sing,  and  that's  sufficient.  I  know 
enough  about  music  to  tell  a  good  voice,  when 
I  hear  it.  He  must  be  retained  in  the  choir." 

"  Then  I  shall  at  once  resign,"  said  the  so- 
prano. 

"Very  well,  my  dear,"  said  Miss  Brown,  with 
a  smile.  "  You  know  your  own  interests  best,  I 
presume." 

"  Every  thing  shall  be  as  you  wish,  Miss  Brown," 
said  one  of  the  committee.  "  It  would  be  rather 
cruel  to  dismiss  the  young  man.  Some  of  the 
.younger  people  in  the  congregation  have  not 
liked  him,  but  I  dare  say  they  are  hasty  in  their 
judgment." 

"We  should  never  judge  of  a  fellow-being  on 
one  trial.  It  ill  becomes  us,  while  Providence 
gives  a  lifetime  for  trial.  I  have  bought  the 
two  pews  on  each  side  of  the  choir;  and  it  is 
my  intention  to  tear  them  down  and  enlarge  the 
choir,  and  make  room  for  a  harp,  and  perhaps 


fift  ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

a  small  orchestra  with  a  chorus.  There  ! "  she 
added,  with  a  little  laugh,  "  I  have  let  the  cat 
out  of  the  bag.  I  didn't  mean  to  tell  my  plans 
just  yet.  However,  it  will  do  no  harm." 

"  I  fear,  Miss  Brown,  such  a  scheme  will  hardly 
meet  the  approval  "of  the  church.  It  will  be  too 
expensive." 

"  Nobody  asked  the  church  to  bear  the  ex- 
pense. I  will  pay  for  it  myself.  I  built  half 
the  church  and  put  in  the  organ,  and  pay  the 
largest  pew-tax  ;  and  I  mean  to  have  my  way. 
This  young  person,  whoever  he  is,  must  be  kept 
in  the  choir ;  and,  if  I  continue  to  like  him,  I 
shall  make  him  director  of  the  music." 

Just  here  a  man  in  livery  appeared  at  the  door, 
and  touched  his  hat  to  Miss  Brown. 

"  I'm  all  ready,  John.  I  go  at  once."  With 
that,  she  made  a  sweeping  bow  to  the  bewil- 
dered choir  and  committee,  and  swept  out  of  the 
church  in  a  manner  at  once  elegant  and  impres- 
sive. 

They  walked   home   together  in   gloomy  silence, 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF.  fa 

Sebastian  absorbed  in  contemplating  the  miser- 
able end  of  another  effort  to  get  a  foothold  in  the 
city,  Zegelda  clearly  seeing  that  trouble  of  some 
kind  had  come,  and  that  in  some  way  she  was 
concerned  in  it.  He  had  certainly  failed.  The 
very  people  who  had  welcomed  him  to  the  choir, 
the  night  before,  hardly  spoke  to  him  now.  The 
solo  had  been  a  dead  failure,  and  Zegelda  was 
to  blame  for  the  whole  thing.  If  she  had  not 
been  there,  all  would  have  been  well.  If  she 
had  not  interrupted  him  just  then,  and  thrown 
him  off  his  balance,  nothing  serious  would  have 
happened.  This  was  the  second  time  she  had 
placed  him  in  an  unfortunate  position.  Why 
should  he  trouble  himself  any  more  about  her  ? 
Why  not  let  her  go  and  find  her  own  way  in 
the  world  ? 

Just  as  they"  reached  the  house,  she  said 
quietly  that  she  was  much  obliged  to  him  for 
taking  her  to  church,  and  that  she  would  like 
very  much  to  go  again  some  other  Sunday. 

"  I  fear  I  can  never  take  you,  Zegelda." 


«Q  ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 

"  Why  not  ?     Did  I  do  anything  wrong  ?  " 

"  Well,  no,  not  intentionally ;  but  I  fear  I  have 
lost  my  place  in  the  choir.  They  did  not  like 
my  singing,  and  I  presume  to-night  they  wiiS  tell 
me  I  neefl  not  come  again.  If  you  had  stayed 
downstairs,  as  I  wished,  it  might  not  have  hap- 
pened." 

If  he  had  struck  her,  he  could  not  have  hurt 
her  more. 

"  Oh,  you  think  I  did  it !  You  think  I  put 
you  out.  Oh,  it  is  terrible !  You  lost  the 
place,  and  it's  all  my  fault." 

They  had  reached  the  house,  and  with  a  sob 
she  ran  up  the  steps,  as  if  to  escape  from  him. 
As  she  could  not  open  the  door  till  he  came  up 
with  the  key,  she  was  obliged  to  wait  for  him,  and 
stood  sobbing  and  trembling  on  the  upper  step. 

"  It  is  all  my  living,"  he  said  rather  savagely, 
"  and  now  I  am  thrown  out  of  work  again.  I 
shall  have  to  give  up,  after  all,  and  go  back  to 
the  farm." 

"  Oh,    don't   say   that !    Don't   say  that !    I    can 


ZEGELDA     RO-VfANlEF.  «j 

sing.  I  will  sing  at  concerts  and  get  much 
money,  and  you  shall  have  it  all.  No  one  was 
ever '  good  or  kind  to  me  before,  and  yet  I 
spoiled  your  business.  I  am  very,  very  sorry." 

"  Well,"  said  the  young  man,  relenting  some- 
what, and  opening  the  door  for  her  to  enter, 
"  say  no  more  about  it.  The  harm  is  done :  it 
is  useless  to  cry  over  it  now.  Your  mother  can, 
no  doubt,  find  something  to  do,  and  next  week 
I'll  go  back  to  the  farm.  Music  seerns  to  be  a 
failure  with  me.  I  have  mistaken  fancy  for 
talent.  It's  the  old  story  of  the  inflated  frog. 
I've  been  a  fool  to  care  for  music,  and  I'll  give 
it  all  up  and  go  home." 

If  there  is  anything  that  may  be  confidently 
looked  for,  it  is  the  unexpected.  Sebastian  Strove 
returned  to  the  church  that  evening  alone.  He 
did  not  intend  to  take  Zegelda  with  him ;  and, 
in  fact,  he  saw  nothing  of  her  after  they  parted 
on  the  door-step  at  noon,  as  she  remained  in  her 
room  with  her  mother.  From  the  events  of  the 
morning,  he  imagined  that  his  fellow-laborers  in 


«2  ZEGELDA     ROMAN1EF. 

the  choir  might  receive  him  rather  coldly,  and  it 
was  best  to  go  alone.  His  reception  was  really 
almost  insulting.  Not  one  in  the  choir  paid  the 
slightest  attention  to  him,  beyond  what  was 
called  for  by  the  business  of  the  evening.  One 
of  the  men  pointed  out  the  page  in  the  music- 
book,  and  this  was  all.  The  two  women  ignored 
him  completely. 

These  things  are  not  pleasant  to  record.  It 
has  been  thought  that  music  is  refining  and  ele- 
vating. This  is  not  so.  Music  is  a  mode  of  ex- 
pression. While  it  may  express  refinement,  relig- 
ion, fine  sentiments,  and  lofty  aspirations,  it  is 
not  any  of  these,  but  merely  an  aid  to  their  expres- 
sion. It  may  also  serve  things  that  are  rude  and 
altogether  vulgar.  These  people  used  this  wonder- 
ful mode  of  expression,  and  yet  they  were  them- 
selves unlovely  and  poor  in  the  spirit  of  good 
manners.  Why  such  people  are  found  in  church 
choirs  can  only  be  explained  by  the  false  estimate 
the  church-going  public,  in  so  many  instances, 
places  upon  its  music.  The  demand  is  for  show 


ZEGELDA  ROMANIEF, 


73 


and  display,  for  mere  effect  and  high  coloring, 
and,  in  the  competition  to  get  these,  little  has 
been  thought  of  the  people  themselves.  The  de- 
mand has  been  for  voices  and  not  singers,  per- 
formers instead  of  musicians.  The  people  have 
misunderstood  music,  and  have  fancied  that,  be- 
cause it  may  be  the  expression  of  religion  and 
elevated  thought,  it  is  in  itself  religious  and  ele- 
vated. 

I 

Events  move  quickly  among  the  people  we  have 
to  do  with,  and  we  may  soon  see  this  whole 
matter  of  choir  life  and  choir  music  in  another 
and  a  fairer  light.  The  evening  service  was  got 
through  in  some  half-hearted  fashion ;  and  the 
young  man  felt  sure  that  this  was  his  last  ap- 
pearance at  that  church.  The  fact  that  he 
had  signed  an  agreement  to  sing  in  the  church 
would  probably  be  of  no  avail.  If  he  had  failed, 
the  church  committee  would  no  doubt  consider 
themselves  at  liberty  to  break  the  contract.  Such 
things  had  been  done,  he  had  heard.  The  ser- 
vice was  over  and  the  people  going  out,  and  he 


74 


ZEGELDA     ROMAXIEP. 


was  on  the  point  of  going,  when  he  thought  that, 
at  least,  he  would  be  polite  to  them,  however 
rudely  they  might  treat  him  ;  and  he  bowed  to 
them  all,  and  said  good-night.  The  organist 
bowed  and  smiled,  and  said  something  that  was 
lost  in  the  /roar  of  his  organ  as  he  "  played 
the  people  out."  The  others  neither  by  look  nor 
word  recognized  him  in  any  way.  It  was  no  mat- 
ter. It  was  all  of  a  piece  with  his  life  in  the 
city, —  an  unbroken  stream  of  'ill  luck,  disappoint- 
ment, and  disaster. 

He  did  not  even  resent  their  rudeness.  He 
only  wondered  at  it  in  a  vague  way,  as  if  it  were 
something  quite  apart  from  his  life.  He  had 
done  his  duty;  and,  had  not  Zegelda  interrupted 
him  in  the  solo,  all  would  have  been  well.  Of 
course,  he  could  never  sing  there  again ;  and, 
not  without  a  sigh  of  regret  at  the  lost  income 
and  opportunity,  he  turned  into  the  street  toward 
his  wretched  lodgings,  his  poverty  and  despair. 

"  It's  a  pretty  dream,  but  it's  all  over.  I  know 
the  worst,  and  I  know  my  duty.  I'll  go  home 


ZEGELDA     ROMA.V/EF.  j~ 

to   my   mother,   and   tell   her   I   have  failed.      I'll 
give  up  music,  and  go  back  to"  — 

"  If  you  please,  sir,  will  you  step  this  way  ?  " 
He   looked   up   to   see   who    spoke,    and    found 
it  was  a  man  in  livery. 

"Step  to  the  carriage  door  a  moment,  sir. 
Miss  Brown  wishes  to  see  you." 

Who  Miss  Brown  might  be,  or  what  any  young 
lady  in  a  carriage  might  want  of  him,  he  could 
not  imagine.  The  carriage  stood  by  a  street 
lamp  in  front  of  the  church,  and  by  the  aid  of 
the  light  he  saw  an  elderly  lady  in  black,  look- 
ing out  and  holding  the  door  partly  open,  as  if 
expecting  some  one.  There  were  many  people  on 
the  walk,  and  in  the  confusion  he  did  not  under- 
stand what  it  all  meant. 

"  There  must  be  some  mistake,  marm  " — 
"  No  mistake  at  all,  sir,"  said  the  lady,  rather 
sharply.  "  I  have  been  waiting  for  you  to  come 
out.  I  wish  to  see  you.  Will  you  please  get  in 
the  carriage  ?  I  will  take  you  to  my  house,  and 
explain  what  I  want." 


76 


Z EG EL  DA     ROMANIEF. 


The  footman  opened  the  door  wide,  and  the 
lady  retreated  into  the  carriage,  as  if  to  make 
room  for  him  to  enter. 

"  It's  all  right,  sir,"  said  the  man,  quietly. 
"  She  wants  to  see  you  on  a  matter  of  business. 
Step  right  in,  sir." 

The  man  said  this  with  an  air  of  respect,  as  if 
receiving  a  guest ;  and  Sebastian,  not  knowing 
how  to  refuse,  entered  the  carriage. 

Just  then  the  two  ladies  of  the  choir  came 
down  the  church  steps. 

"  I  am  completely  petrified ! "  exclaimed  the 
soprano.  "  Miss  Brown  has  taken  the  new  tenor 
off  in  her  carriage." 

The  door  was  closed,  and  in  a  second  they 
were  rolling  swiftly  through  the  streets  toward  the 
fashionable  end  of  the  city. 

"  You  will  excuse  me,  sir,"  said  the  lady,  "  for 
taking  you  off  so  unceremoniously.  My  name  is 
Miss  Tabatha  Brown.  You  shall  know  more  of 
me  by  and  by.  All  I  have  to  say  now  is  that  I 
have  often  heard  you  sing  in  our  church ;  and  I 


ZEGELDA     ROMA  XI EF. 


77 


have  asked  you  to  come  to  my  house,  because 
I  may  have  a  favor  to  ask  of  you.  What  is  your 
name,  sir  ? " 

"  Strove, —  Sebastian  Strove.  I  am  sure,  marm, 
I  shall  be  glad  to  be  of  service." 

"  Strove !  That's  Norwegian.  You  came  from 
the  country,  I  presume  ?  " 

"  Yes  :  from  Illinois.  I  have  only  been  in  the 
city  about  two  years." 

"  So  much  the  better.  You  have  not  had  time 
to  be  spoiled." 

Certainly,  the  entire  adventure  was  most  pe- 
culiar. The  young  man  hardly  knew  what  to 
make  of  it  or  of  his  hostess.  She  asked  him  a 
number  of  questions  about  his  life  and  musical 
studies,  and  he  answered  simply  and  directly, 
which  seemed  to  win  her  confidence ;  for  she 
said, — 

"  I  think  we  shall   get   on   very  well   together." 

Just  then  the  carriage  stopped ;  and  the  man 
opened  the  door,  and  Miss  Brown  said  to  him, — 

"  Take  Mr.   Strove  to   the   music-room,  John." 


7  g  ZEGELDA  ROMANIEF.  ' 

• 

This  seemed  to  be  an  invitation  to  get  out  ; 
and  the  young  man  did  so,  and  stood  upon  the 
walk  as  if  to  help  the  lady  out. 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  she  said,  stepping  lightly 
down.  "  I'm  not  such  an  old  woman  that  I  can't 
get  out  of  my  own  carriage.  Please  go  up  with 
the  jnan,  and  wait  for  me." 

Evidently,  Miss  Brown  was  a  person  who  ex- 
pected to  be  obeyed.  Then  came  a  confused 
sense  of  passing  into  warm,  luxurious  rooms,  rich 
with  pictures  and  furniture,  and  at  last  they 
came  to  a  curtained  door.  The  servant  led  the 
way  past  the  curtain,  and  Sebastian  found  him- 
self in  a  large  place,  dimly  lighted  by  a  single 
student-lamp  on  a  piano. 

It  was  a  large  room,  lofty  and  somewhat  longer 
than  wide,  with  hard-wood  floor  and  painted  walls. 
There  was  a  row  of  windows,  closed  by  blinds 
on  the  inside  ;  along  one  side  of  the  room  ;  and 
at  the  end  where  he  stood  the  floor  was  cov- 
ered with  a  large  rug.  Near  the  piano  was  a 
small  pipe  organ,  and  a  harp.  The  rest  of  the 


ZEGELDA     ROMA  XI EF. 


79 


room  was  bare,  save  in  one  distant  corner  were 
gathered  together  a  great  number  of  cane  chairs. 
There  were  also  shelves  along  the  wall,  rilled 
with  music  in  sheets  and  books.  The  footman 
offered  a  seat,  and  then  left  the  young  man 
alone  in  the  great  room.  Never  had  he  seen 
anything  more  conveniently  and  splendidly  ar- 
ranged for  music.  It  was  evidently  at  once  studio 
and  concert-room.  Miss  Brown,  whoever  she 
might  prove  to  be,  was  certainly  an  admirer  of 
music. 

"  Please  be  seated  Mr.  Strove.  I  wish  to  talk 
to  you." 

The  lady  had  entered  the  room  by  the  cur- 
tained door,  in  silence;  and  he  hastily  looked  for 
a  chair  to  offer  her. 

"Thank  you,  sir.  I'll  sit  here.  Oh!  I  for- 
got. First,  I  want  you  to  sing  to  me.  Take 
the  piano  or  organ,  whichever  you  prefer." 

With  that,  she  drew  a  large  arm-chair  on  the 
rug  before  the  piano,  and  sat  down. 

It    was     an     embarrassing     situation, —  a     total 


go  ZEGELDA  KOMA.VJEF. 

stranger  in  this  rich  and  apparently  eccentric 
wonvin's  house,  and  asked  to  sing  in  this  off- 
hand manner,  as  if  it  were  the  most  natural 
thing  in  the  world  ! 

Fortunately,  he  was  equal  to  the  occasion. 
She  had  meant  it  as  a  test ;  and,  had  he  hesi4- 
tated  or  pleaded  any  inability,  it  is  highly  prob- 
able that  this  would  have  been  his  first  and 
only  appearance  in  that  elegant  and  fashion- 
able music-room.  He  sat  down  to  the  piano, 
and  began  a  simple  song  from  memory.  Some- 
thing about  the  touch  and  sound  of  the  splen- 
did instrument,  the  hushed  room,  and  perhaps 
a  dim  idea  that  he  was,  as  it  were,  on  trial 
for  his  musical  life,  nerved  him  to  do  his  best. 
The  song  over,  Miss  Brown  said  abruptly, — 

"  Sing  something  more." 

Three  times  she  did  this,  without  a  sign  of 
approval  or  disapproval,  praise  or  blame.  When 
he  had  finished,  she  said,  in  that  peculiar  tone 
that  he  already  recognized  as  meant  for  polite 
command, — 


ZEGELDA     ROMA  XI E  P.  gj 

"  Please  be  seated  near  me.  I  want  to  talk  to 
you.  People  say  I  am  a  little  crazy," — she  said 
this  with  a  slight  laugh, — "crazy  over  music.  It 
may  be  so,  but  it  is  an  innocent  craze ;  but  one 
thing  is  certain :  I  am  sane  enough  to  take  care 
of  my  own  money.  The  church  where  you  sang 
this  morning  was  built  chiefly  through  my  exer- 
tions, and  in  large  part  with  my  money.  If  I  had 
any  relatives,  I  suppose  they  would  say  that  was 
insane,  too.  The  organ  I  built  entirely  at  my  own 
expense.  In  fact,  it  is  mine.  I  lend  it  to  the 
church.  Now,  I  am  greatly  interested  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  church,  but  unfortunately  it  has  not 
been  wholly  successful.  It  is  very  large  and  not 
half-filled.  Moreover,  the  music  does  not  please 
me  at  all ;  and  I  have  decided  to  take  the  whole 
matter  into  my  own  hands.  I  have  the  consent 
of  the  society  to  supply  the  music  at  my  own 
expense,  and  in  such  manner  as  I  wish,  for  two 
years.  The  first  thing  I  want  is  a  man  like  your- 
self, who  can  sing  and  who  will  help  me.  For 
this  reason,  I  asked  you  to  sing  for  me.  I  have 


g2  ZEGELDA     ROMANIEP. 

heard   quite   a   number   already,  and   you   are   the 
first  who  has  wholly  pleased  me." 
'     Sebastian  would  have  thanked  her,  but  she  held 
up  her  hand  as  if  to  warn  him,  and  went  on, — 

"  I  want  you  for  a  musical  director  in  my  choir. 
Do  you  think  yourself  equal  to  the  task  ? " 

"Well  —  really  —  Miss     Brown,     your     proposal 

• 

comes  so  suddenly,  I  hardly  know  what  to  say. 
I  can  at  least  try,  and  I  can  certainly  do  as  I 
am  told." 

"That  is  exactly  what  I  want.  I  have  asked 
a  dozen  men  if  they  would  accept  the  place,  and 
not  one  before  you  has  said  he  would  do  as  he 
was  told.  They  all  wanted  to  do  what  they 
pleased,  not  what  I  liked.  I  want  some  one  who 
will  do  exactly  and  entirely  as  I  wish.  You  will 
not  be  responsible  to  any  committee,  but  to  me 
alone.  I  shall  demand  your  entire  services  every 
day,  and  I  will  pay  you  two  thousand  dollars  a 
year, —  at  least,  for  the  present.  If  you  prove 
worth  more,  you  shall  have  it.  Of  course,  I  shall 
be  glad  to  hear  any  suggestions  you  may  make 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF.  g^ 

in  regard  to  the  music,  but  the  final  decision 
must  rest  with  me.  My  sole  aim  in  this  matter 
is  to  show  what  can  be  done  in  the  finest  pos- 
sible church  music,  without  regard  to  expense. 
Our  American  church  music  is  generally  poor, 
thin,  and  trifling.  It  is  my  hope  to  be  able  to 
make  it  better  —  by  example." 

She  went  right  on  talking  rapidly  and  laying 
out  her  plans  more  in  detail,  and  it  was  some 
time  before  Sebastian  could  say  that  he  would 
accept  Miss  Brown's  most  liberal  and  flattering 
offer. 

"It's  purely  business,  sir.  To-morrow,  if  you 
will  call  at  three  o'clock,  my  lawyer  will  have  a 
contract  ready  for  you  to  sign.  The  first  thing 
you  must  do  is  to  find  a  soprano, —  a  great  one, 
—  salary  not  to  be  considered  at  all.  However, 
there  is  no  haste.  The  choir  will  not  be  ready 
for  two  months,  but  your  duties  will  begin  to- 
morrow. It  will  take  all  that  time  to  get  ready 
for  the  first  Sunday.  I  shall  rely  on  you  to-mor- 
row. Good-night." 


84 


ZE  GELD  A     R  OMA  NIEF. 


Her  manner  was  abrupt,  straightforward,  and 
perhaps  imperious ;  and,  when  she  rose  and  of- 
fered her  hand,  he  considered  himself  dismissed. 
A  maid  appeared  as -by  magic  at  the  curtain,  and 
escorted  him  to  the  door. 

How  he  reached  home  he  never  knew.  He  ran 
and  walked,  and  perhaps,  in  the  dark  places  be- 
tween the  gas-lamps,  he  skipped  in  boyish  glee. 
Never  had  he  read  in  any  novel  of  more  won- 
derful and  splendid  prospects.  Now  his  dreams 
of  what  he  could  do  would  be  fulfilled.  How 
pleased  Zegelda  would  be  with  his  good  fortune ! 
Now  she  should  have  a  piano  and  the  best 
teacher  money  could  procure.  He  must  take 
her  some  day  to  Miss  Brown's  splendid  concert- 
room  to  sing  for  her.  She  was  a  soprano  worth 
hearing.  Why  not  Zegelda  for  the  soprano? 
Perhaps  her  voice,  with  culture,  would  be  the 
pearl  of  great  price  that  all  were  seeking. 

On  reaching  his  lodgings,  he  knocked  on  the 
landlady's  door,  and  asked  if  Zegelda  and  her 
mother  were  still  up. 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


«5 


"Lor,  sir!     They're   gone!" 

"  Gone  !     Gone  where? " 

"  I  don't  know,  sir.  They  had  some  kind  of  a 
quarrel  in  their  room  this  evening,  and  about  an 
hour  ago  Mrs.  Romanief  came  down  with  the  key 
of  her  room ;  and  off  they  goes,  bag  and  baggage 
— what  little  they  had.  Says  she,  as  she  went 
out :  '  Here's  the  rent  up  to  next  week.  We  are 
going  away.'  '  And  where  are  you  going  ? '  says 
I.  '  It's  no  matter.'  And  with  that  they  went 
right  out  into  the  street.  The  little  one  was 
crying,  but  I  could  not  keep  them,  nor  would 
they  say  where  they  were  going,  or  how  long 
they  would  stay.  They  were  a  strange  lot,  sir. 
I  never  liked  them  since  they  came  that  Sunday 
night.  I  shall  not  be  sorry,  if  they  never  come 
back." 


CHAPTER  V. 

Let  all  that  hath  life  and  breath  sing  to  the  Lord. 

WHENEVER  any  one  attempts  to  do  sincere  and 
honest  work  in  music,  he  is  sure  to  find  a  reward. 
The  art  always  satisfies  the  artist.  His  reward 
may  not  assume  the  shape  of  money;  but,  for  all 
that,  it  is  a  reward, — it  satisfies.  To  our  singer, 
a  poor  young  man  studying  and  following  music 
hitherto  alone,  and  with  only  the  little  approval 
and  sympathy  his  mother  had  been  able  to  give 
him,  the  proposal  made  to  him  by  the  strange 
lady,  who  had  so  abruptly  introduced  herself  and 
her  plans  to  him  the  night  before,  seemed  a 
dream  that  would  melt  away  in  the  clear  light  of 
day.  He  hardly  dared  to  go  out  of  doors  in  the 
sharp  winter's  air,  lest  the  dream  shrivel  up  in 


ZEGELDA     ROMA.VIEF.  g- 

the  cold  light  of  common-sense.  She  had  said 
that  people  called  her  crazy.  It  might  be  so. 
She  was  probably  some  rich  and  eccentric  woman 
with  a  craze  for  music,  and  he  would  probably 
never  hear  from  her  again. 

One  fact  remained.  Zegelda  had  disappeared. 
There  was  no  dream  about  that.  Yet,  after  all, 
was  not  her  whole  appearance,  their  singular 
meeting,  the  mystery  of  her  former  life,  and  her 
connection  with  that  wretched  creature,  Sill, — 
was  it  not  all  a  phantasy,  a  strange  episode  in 
his  lonely  life,  of  no  meaning,  and  soon  to  be 
forgotten  ? 

When  the  woman  told  him  Zegelda  and  her 
mother  had  disappeared,  he  was  conscious  of  a 
shock,  a  sense  of  surprise  and  disappointment. 
In  looking  at  the  whole  affair  by  the  calmer  light 
of  next  day,  he  made  a  discovery, —  he  had 
learned  to  love  the  child.  No:  she  was  no 
longer  a  child,  but  a  woman.  In  the  brief  stay 
she  had  made  under  the  same  roof,  she  had  won 
his  heart.  An  overwhelming  sense  of  loss,  of 


gg  ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

disappointment  and  misery,  seemed  to  cover  him. 
She  had  left  him,  of  her  own  free  will :  she  had 
deliberately  run  away,  without  sign  of  explanation 
or  farewell.  He  would  go  out  of  doors,  and  try 
to  walk  off  something  of  the  wretchedness  and 
sense  of  loss  he  experienced.  Perhaps  he  could 
find  some  trace  of  her  at  the  music-stores.  He 
would  even 'hunt  up  the  agent,  Sill,  and  see  if 
he  knew  anything  of  the  girl. 

As  he  opened  his  door,  he  found  a  scrap  of 
paper  on  the  floor.  He  picked  it  up  and  opened 
it.  It  was  merely  a  bit  of  yellow  wrapping-paper, 
with  something  written  upon  it  in  pencil:  — 

"Mr.  Strove,  I  put  you  out  yesterday  in  the 
song,  and  maid  you  lose  your  place.  I  never  can  be 
any  good  to  you:  I  am  sorry.  Good-bye,  Zegelda." 

Poor  little  misspelled,  badly  written  scrawl,  yet 
he  kissed  it,  and  then  carefully  put  it  away  in 
his  trunk;  and,  if  just  a  tear  or  two  filled  his 
eyes,  they  were  nothing  to  his  discredit.  She 
had  run  away  because  she  feared  she  had  done 
him  some  harm.  She  must  have  fancied  she  was 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


89 


a  burden  to  him,  a.  hindrance  in  his  progress  in 
life  and  in  music.  Now  he  felt  sure  he  loved 
her.  He  must  find  her,  if  it  took  every  cent  he 
could  earn.  He  must  bring  her  back,  tell  her 

* 

of  his  great  good  fortune,  and  —  yes  —  he  would 
some  day  marry  her,  and  share  it  with  her. 
The  woman  might  be  crazy  about  music,  but  she 
would  hardly  be  so  cruel  as  to  offer  him  employ- 
ment, unless  she  really  meant  it. 

He  procured  a  simple  breakfast  at  a  cheap  res- 
taurant. He  must  economize  now;  for  every  dol- 
lar would  be  needed  for  his  new  mission  to  find 
Zegelda,  and  to  win  her  back  to  his  care  and  his 
home.  This  over,  he  went  out  in  the  direction 
of  the  church,  in  the  vague  hope  that  he  might 
meet  her,  or  even  Mr.  Sill,  in  the  street.  As  he 
drew  near  the  church,  he  saw  a  team  drawn  up 
at  the  door,  and  a  number  of  men  unloading 
tools  and  lumber.  On  the  wagon  was  the  sign 
of  a  well-known  firm  of  organ-builders  in  the  city. 
To  his  surprise,  he  found  the  door  of  the  church 
open ;  and,  stepping  inside,  he  found  a  man  on 


QQ  ZEGELDA     ROMA  XI EF. 

guard,  who  said  no  one  was  to  be  admitted  ex- 
cept on  business. 

"That's  Miss  Brown's  orders,  and  she's  the 
boss  here  now." 

"  Is  Miss  Brown  here  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir.  She's  inside,  with  the  architect  and 
the  organ-builder." 

After  a  brief  talk,  the  man  permitted  Sebastian 
to  pass,  and  he  entered  the  church.  All  the 
pews  and  the  pulpit  were  draped  in  cloths,  and 
the  windows  were  open  to  give  plenty  of  light. 
In  a  pew  near  the  centre  of  the  house  sat  Miss 
Brown,  and  beside  her  stood  two  gentlemen.  The 
moment  she  saw  him  she  smiled  and  beckoned  to 
him.  He  went  to  her,  when,  to  his  surprise,  she 
presented  him  to  the  organ-builder  and  the  archi- 
tect of  the  church  as  the  director  of  the  music 
and  her  right-hand  man.  It  was  not  a  dream  at 
all.  All  that  she  had  said  the  night  before  was 
in  earnest.  The  architect  and  builder  were  pres- 
ent to  see  what  alterations  were  necessary  in  the 
organ  loft,  to  fit  it  for  the  new  choir. 


ZEGELDA     ROMA.VIEF.  gj 

"I  wish  to  have  a  large  chorus  choir,  and  that 
implies  plenty  of  room.  We  were  debating,  Mr. 
Strove,  as  to  what  we  should  do  with  the  organ. 
Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make  ? " 

The  young  man,  with  some  hesitation,  asked  if 
it  would  be  too  much  trouble  to  cut  the  organ  in 
two,  and  to  place  it  in  the  galleries  on  each  side. 

"A  very  good  idea,  sir.     We  will  do  it." 

To  Sebastian,  the  quiet  manner  in  which  the 
lady  said  this  came  as  a  new  sensation.  To 
spend  hundreds,  perhaps  a  thousand,  dollars  thus, 
in  a  moment,  gave  him  an  assurance  of  security 
and  confidence.  The  lady  really  meant  what  she 
said.  The  splendid  vision  of  the  night  before  was 
a  solid  reality.  He  was  really  the  director  of 
the  music,  his  very  first  wish  had  been  accepted, 
and  was  to  be  acted  upon. 

The  architect  objected  that,  as  the  entrances  to 
the  galleries  were  in  the  front  wall  of  the  church, 
it  would  be  impossible  to  put  the  organ  there,  as 
it  would  close  the  doors  to  the  galleries.  The 
organ-builder  replied  at  once  that  the  organ  could 


Q2  ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

be  lifted  up,  and  the  entrance  to  the  gallery 
could  be  made  under  the  organ  on  each  side. 

So  it  was  settled  the  organ  was  to  be  cut  in 
two,  and  placed  in  the  corner  of  the  gallery  on 
either  side.  The  architect  quickly  drew  a  rough 
elevation  of  the  organ  in  its  new  position,  show- 
ing the  passage-ways  under  the  organ  to  the 
doors  that  opened  upon  the  stairways  in  the 
towers  of  the  church. 

"Where  will  you  have  the  organ-desk,  sir?" 
said  the  builder. 

Sebastian  looked  to  Miss  Brown,  as  if  for  in- 
structions. 

"Decide  for  yourself,  Mr.  Strove.  You  can 
have  it  anywhere  you  wish." 

The  young  man  thought  a  moment.  If  there 
was  to  be  a  conductor, —  and  it  would  hardly  be 
possible  to  carry  on  a  chorus  without  one, —  he 
would  face  the  choir,  and  the  organist  should 
be  near  him.  So  he  decided  the  desk  should  be 
placed  in  the  centre  between  the  organs;  and, 
if  not  involving  too  great  expense,  it  would  be 


ZEGELDA  ROMANIEF. 


93 


better  to  have  the  organist  sit  quite  near  the 
front  of  the  gallery,  and  facing  the  church. 

"  Expense  is  not  to  be  considered,"  said  Miss 
Brown.  "That's  decidedly  the  best  place  for  the 
desk,  and  it  will  be  placed  there." 

Then  she  turned  to  the  architect,  and  had  a 
somewhat  lengthy  conversation  with  him.  The 
organ-builder  considered  himself  dismissed,  and 
went  upstairs  to  his  men,  who  were  already 
taking  out  the  front  pipes  of  the  instrument. 
Sebastian  sat  down  in  a  neighboring  pew  to  wait 
instructions  from  his  new  employer. 

Evidently,  expense  was  not  to  be  considered. 
The  music  was  to  be  of  the  best.  There  was  to 
be  a  grand  chorus,  and,  of  course,  a  quartet  of 
solo  voices.  What  fine  effects  could  be  obtained 
by  the  union  of  the  two !  Of  course,  the  choir 
would  be  large  enough  to  admit  of  choruses  by 
the  male  voices  alone,  or  all  the  female  voices. 
When  he  was  a  boy,  on  his  father's  farm,  he  had 
dreams  of  what  he  would  do,  if  he  ever  be- 
came a  conductor.  Now  he  was  something  bet- 


94 


ZEGELDA     ROMA.VIEF. 


ter, —  manager  of  a  fine  church  choir.  His  pulse 
quickened  at  the  thought.  Perhaps  they  would 
have  some  of  the  rich  and  highly  colored  music 
such  as  he  had  heard  in  Catholic  churches.  No : 
the  people  might  not  like  that.  And  yet,  why 
not  ?  As  the  old  master  said :  "  If  you  praise 
the  Lord,  why  not  do  it  with  joy  and  gladness, 
and  with  all  the  pomp  and  splendor  possible  ? " 

Presently,  the  architect  bowed  himself  out ;  and 
Miss  Brown  came  over  to  where  he  sat,  and  took 
a  seat  in  the  pew  behind  him. 

"As  I  told  you,  sir,  last  night,  I  wish  you  to 
take  control  of  the  music  of  this  church,  under 
my  direction.  You  will  not  find  it  a  pleasant 
place  at  first.  It  was  only  with  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty I  got  the  congregation  to  consent  to  give 
me  sole  charge  of  the  music.  I  think  you  will 
find  that  the  present  choir  will  oppose  everything 
we  do.  It's  of  no  consequence.  I  wish  you  to 
sing  in  the  choir  till  the  new  arrangement  begins 
in  May.  If  you  like  any  of  the  people  in  the 
choir,  you  may  engage  them  for  my  choir, —  in 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


95 


the  chorus  only.  They  are  none  of  them  good 
enough  for  soloists.  Neither  will  the  organist  do 
for  the  new  instrument.  He  may,  however,  do 
very  well  as  the  pianist. 

"  Piano !  madam  !  Shall  you  have  a  piano  in 
church  ? " 

"Certainly.  I  shall  have  a  grand  piano  and  a 
harp,  and  occasionally  an  orchestra.  I'll  explain 
all  these  things  in  due  time.  The  first  thing  I 
wish  you  to  do  is  to  organize  a  choir  of  men  and 
boys,  of  not  less  than  twenty  voices.  Then  I 
wish  you  to  collect  a  second  choir  of  mixed 
voices,  together  with  a  third  choir  composed 
wholly  of  young  girls.  We  "will  also  have  a 
double  quartet  of  the  best  solo  talent  to  be 
found," 

"But,  madam,  think  of  the  expense.  It  will 
cost  thousands  of  dollars  to  maintain  such  an 
establishment.  It  will  be  as  expensive  as  a  grand 
opera  company." 

"I  think  I  told  you,  sir,  expense  is  not  to  be 
considered.  It  is  your  duty  to  provide  what  I 
wish.  I'll  attend  to  all  the  rest." 


g5  ZEGELDA     ROMA. VI EF. 

"  I  beg  pardon,  madam.  The  plan  is  so  mag- 
nificent that  it  at  first  frightened  me." 

"  Well,  well,  say  no  more  about  it.  The  organ- 
builder  and  architect  think  the  improvements  can 
be  made  in  about  two  months.  The  organ  is 
to  be  enlarged  to  twice  its  present  size,  and  is  to 
be  fitted  to  a  peculiar  duty.  You  can  call  to- 
morrow at  the  factory,  and  see  what  you  think  of 
my  plans." 

She  here  began  to  draw  on  her  shawl,  as   if  to 

"You  will  not  fail  to  be  at  my  house  at  three 
this  afternoon,  to  sign  the  contract.  Meanwhile, 
I  shall  insert  an  advertisement  for  singers,  both 
boys  and  girls,  men  and  women.  I  have  ar- 
ranged my  music-room  so  that  the  rehearsals 
may  be  at  my  house;  and  you  may  say  in  the 
advertisement  the  applicants  may  call  at  my 
house  to-morrow  night,  and  you  can  try  their 
voices  in  the  music-room.  Oh,  by  the  way,  the 
most  important  thing  of  all  is  to  secure  a  so- 
prano. Do  you  know  of  one  ? " 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF.  Q- 

"Yes,  I  think  I  do;  but,  unfortunately,  .1  do 
not  know  where  she  lives." 

"Oh,  you  must  find  her.  Ask  at  the  music- 
stores.  If  she  is  the  right  person,  I  will  pay  her 
well.  Good-morning.  Remember.  My  house  at 
three." 

With  that,  she  was  gone.  Upstairs,  the  men 
were  busy  taking  the  organ  to  pieces.  Already 
the  dust  began  to  fill  the  church,  and  the  sexton 
came  in  to  open  more  windows.  He  seemed  to 
recognize  Sebastian,  for  he  said, — 

"Old  Miss  Brown  have  her  way  at  last.  She 
will  make  or  break  the  church,  —  that's  my 
opinion." 

"  I  think  she  will  make  it :  at  any  rate,  I  mean 
to  help  her." 

"  Lor !  you're  the  new  director  she  was  talking 
about.  I'm  the  sexton, —  I  am.  I  heard  tell  you 
would  want  new  voices.  I  know  lots  of  'em,  first- 
rate  singers ;  and,  if  ye  want  to  make  a  trade,  I 
can  help  ye.  Will  charge  'em  commission  for  the 
places,  and  divy  on  it." 


98 


ZEGELDA  ROMA  VI EF. 


The  young  man  looked  the  old  fellow  full  in 
the  face,  and  then  deliberately  marched  out  of 
the  church  without  a  word. 

The  freedom  of  American  life  has  had  a 
marked  effect  upon  music  in  this  country.  The 
liberty  to  do  very  much  as  he  pleases  has  led 
the  lover  of  music  to  do  many  things  that  are 
far  from  pleasing.  In  no  other  country  do  the 
people  generally  sing  praises  by  proxy,  delegating 
the  songs  of  an  entire  congregation  to  four  sing- 
ers who  sit  apart  .in  artistic  reserve,  while  the 
congregation  sit  below  in  grim  and  critical  silence, 
either  pleasantly  entertained  by  the  show  or  idly 
wondering  how  much  the  music  costs  per  note. 
Any  other  people  would  have  first  asked  what 
was  the  best  thing  to  do,  and,  having  decided 
this,  would  not  have  stopped  to  consider  any- 
thing else. 

The  American  quartet  choir  is  a  compromise. 
The  people  do  not  choose  to  sing.  They  have  a 
dim  idea  that  four  singers  can  give  good  music, 
and  that  they  do  not  cost  much;  and  so  they 


ZEGELDA     ROMA  XI EF.  f^. 

Vy 

pitched  upon  a  choir  of  two  men  and  two  women 
as  the  correct  thing  for  church  music.  In  a 
certain  way,  they  are  right ;  for  the  four  natural 
voices  are  united,  and  that  is  something.  It  is, 
however,  much  as  if  a  painter  had  said :  "  Black 
upon  white  gives  good  strong,  clear  effects.  I'll 
use  no  other  colors."  The  result,  as  far  as  it 
goes,  is  good ;  but  a  picture  in  black  and  white 
alone  is  wanting  in  the  charm  of  color.  It  is 
like  a  photograph,  tiresome  and  unsatisfactory. 
The  music  of  a  church  quartet  is  like  a  drawing 
in  black  and  white.  It  lacks  musical  color,  and 
is  thin,  tiresome,  and  uninteresting;  and  yet  our 
churches  are  content  with  this  cheap  and  poverty- 
stricken  anangement. 

This  was,  in  substance,  what  Miss  Tabatha 
Brown  said  to  Sebastian  the  day  after  their  inter- 
view in  the  church. 

"  I  have  put  an  advertisement  in  all  the  daily 
papers,  saying  that  you  wished  singers  for  your 
new  choir.  You  are  to  represent  me  in  this 
matter,  and  so  your  name  appears  on  the  adver- 
tisement." 


TOO 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEP. 


With  that,  she  handed  him  a  newspaper. 
It  was  certainly  an  attractive  advertisement: 
"  Wanted  at  once  choir  singers  of  both  sexes,  from 
nine  years  of  age  and  upwards.  Must  be  able  to 
read  at  sight.  Salaries  payable  weekly.  Apply  at 
No.  97  West  Sixty-third  Street,  Sebastian  Strove" 

"  Number  ninety-seven  is  the  rear  entrance  to 
my  house,  and  leads  directly  to  the  music-room. 
You  will  meet  the  people  there,  and  try  each 
voice  for  its  quality  and  power,  and  examine  each 
one  as  to  their  ability  to  read  music  at  sight. 
This  last  test  is  essential,  as  I  wish  the  music  to 
be  continually  changed ;  and  much  of  the  music 
must,  of  necessity,  be  in  manuscript." 

The  effect  of  the  advertisement  was  remarkable. 
Two  hundred  and  ten  people  of  every  age  and 
condition  applied  at  the  door  of  the  music-room 
before  twelve  o'clock,  and  before  night  there  were 
one  hundred  and  fifty  more,  and  during  the  even- 
ing still  another  hundred.  It  was  impossible  to 
examine  them  all,  and  each  was  given  a  slip  of 
paper  on  which  was  written  the  day  and  hour 


ZEGELDA    ROMAtflEF. 


10 1 


they  might  return  for  examination.  The  following 
day  fifty  more  applicants  appeared,  and  seventy 
applications  by  mail  were  received;  and  the  next 
day  after  brought  twenty  applicants  and  more 
than  three  hundred  letters.  Every  name  was  en- 
tered in  a  book,  and  every  letter  answered  by 
postal-card,  appointing  a  day  for  examination ; 
and  then  the  examinations  began.  Boys  were 
received  at  nine  in  the  ^morning,  girls  at  two  in 
the  afternoon,  and  adults  in  the  evening.  It  took 
four  days  to  hear  them  all;  and  then  the  names 
of  the  successful  candidates  were  announced  in 
the  daily  papers,  as  a  simple  means  of  informing 
the  entire  nine  hundred  of  their  success  or  fail- 
ure. 

The  standard  established  by  Sebastian  was  very 
simple.     The    candidate    must     sing    a    piece    of 

manuscript    music    of    moderate    difficulty,    alone, 

% 
without   accompaniment,  and  at   sight.      He   must 

also  sing  a  printed  second  part  to  another  voice, 
without  accompaniment  and  at  sight.  The  object 
sought  in  the  new  choir  was  to  give  new  music 


IO2 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 


every  week,  precisely  as  the  players  in  an  orches- 
tra may  give  new  selections  every  night.  The 
quality  and  power  of  the  voice  being  reasonably 
good,  the  whole  question  turned  on  ability  to 
read.  Of  what  avail  is  it  if  the  voice  is  fluent, 
if  it  cannot  easily,  promptly,  and  correctly  trans- 
late the  thoughts  of  the  composer?  It  is  on  this 
point  that  so  much  of  our  American  musical  cult- 
ure is  deficient.  Any  one  who  pretends  to  an 
English  education  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  read 
a  newspaper  aloud  at  sight.  Why  not  the  same 
in  music  ?  It  is  very  certain  if  the  singer  or 
player  cannot  read  ordinary  music  with  equal 
ease,  he  is  not  a  musician,  however  nimble  his 
fingers  or  well  trained  his  voice. 

At  the  end  of  the  week,  Sebastian  had  only 
been  able  to  select,  out  of  nine  hundred  appli- 
cants, twelve  boys,  fourteen  young  girls,  nine 
men,  and  twelve  women.  Scores  of  fine  voices 
were  passed  with  hardly  any  trial  at  all.  Many 
came  bringing  songs  which  they  wished  to  sing. 

"I    only   want    you    to    do    one   thing,   read    at 


ZEGELDA     ROMAXIEP. 


103 


sight.  If  you  cannot  do  that,  I  have  no  need  of 
your  services." 

The  extraordinary  ignorance  of  this  great  mass 
of  supposed  singers  was  so  discouraging  that  it 
seemed  as  if  Miss  Brown's  scheme  would  fail, 
from  a  simple  lack  of  the  musical  talent  to  carry 
out  her  plans. 

"Never  mind,"  said  she:  "we  will  advertise 
again  in  the  neighboring  towns.  It  will  be  ex- 
traordinary if  we  cannot  find  a  hundred  competent 
readers  in  the  country." 

On  the  Sunday,  Sebastian  resumed  his  place  in 
the  choir.  The  revolution  in  the  musical  affairs 
of  the  church  seemed  to  be  regarded  by  the  other 
members  of  the  choir  as  a  personal  injury.  They 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  new  scheme, 
and  not  one  applied  for  admission  to  the  new 
choir.  They  even  darkly  hinted  of  dreadful  things 
that  would  soon  happen.  The  organ  was  disman- 
tled and  could  not  be  used,  and  this  set  the  con- 
gregation to  much  thinking  during  the  service  and 
voluble  remarks  in  the  corridors  after  they  had 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

been  dismissed.  Not  one  had  a.  good  word  to 
say  for  the  unselfish  woman  who  had  set  out  to 
do  what  she  could  for  the  music  of  this  church, 
and,  as  it  afterwards  proved,  for  the  whole  coun- 
try. Sebastian  did  his  duty,  and  made  neither  re- 
monstrance nor  reply.  His  day  was  at  hand.  It 
was  better  to  do  than  to  talk. 

Miss  Brown  would  not  listen  so  quietly,  and 
said  with  some  spirit, — 

"  I  have  your  written  consent  to  this  plan.  I 
pay  all  the  bills,  and  I  propose  to  do  very  much 
as  I  please.  Our  church  music  is  poor  and  thin. 
We  do  not  use  half  the  range  of  musical  color. 
We  are  content  with  threads  and  lines,  while  we 
might  have  masses  of  color  and  broad  and  vigo- 
rous effects.  Our  church  choirs  need  reforming; 
and,  as  the  churches  are  unwilling  or  unable  to 
do  this,  I  mean  to  reform  my  own  choir." 

The  minister,  good  and  timid  man,  thought  the 
scheme  might  be  excellent,  but  it  was  entirely 
impractical.  It  might  tend  to  detract  from  the 
sermon.  As  for  the  young  person  she  had  chosen 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN1EF. 


105 


to  carry  out  her  plans,  he  was  not  on  visiting 
terms  with  any  family  in  the  congregation,  and 
must  be  a  person  of  no  consequence  whatever. 
Even  the  sexton,  who  had  been  so  ready  to  turn 
a  dishonest  penny  out  of  the  affair,  shook  his 
head,  and  said  the  church  was  going  to  the  bad. 
There  were  seventy  pews  to  let  in  the  church 
now,  and,  if  the  new-fangled  music  came  in,  there 
would  not  be  ten  people  in  the  house. 

For  Sebastian,  it  seemed  as  if  he  had  entered 
upon  a  new  and  beautiful  life.  His  ideas,  at  first 
timidly  offered,  were  respectfully  considered  and 
then  acted  upon.  The  first  payment  of  his  salary 
came  promptly;  and,  thus  relieved  from  anxiety, 
he  began  to  make  discoveries  of  himself.  His 
mind  worked  quicker.  New  ideas,  new  plans  and 
hopes  and  aspirations,  came  to  him.  He  began 
to  see  the  power  of  capital  applied  to  art.  If  the 
lady  would  carry  out  his  ideas,  he  would  soon 
realize  the  dreams  of  his  boyhood,  and  perhaps 
do  something  to  render  divine  service  more  dig- 
nified and  more  beautiful  by  all  the  resources  of 
music. 


ZEGELDA    ROMANIEF. 

Miss  Brown  entered  into  all  his  plans  with 
ardor.  She  was  ready  with  new  suggestions,  and 
to  his  enthusiasm  added  experience  and  wisdom. 
He  suggested  that  new  music  should  be  written 
for  the  choir,  that  a  prize  be  offered  for  an  an- 
them for  the  three  choirs,  so  as  to  use  them  all 
in  the  manner  of  an  orchestra;  and  she  at  once 
offered  over  $1,000  in  prizes  for  new  composi- 
tions suitable  for  church  service. 

The  rumor  spread  through  the  country  that 
there  was  to  be  a  new  and  magnificent  choir,  and 
the  singers  in  nearly  every  church  in  the  city  ap- 
plied for  places.  The  new  advertisement  brought 
out  over  four  hundred  candidates,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  second  week  the  choir  was  complete  ex- 
cept in  soloists. 

It  was  arranged  in  this  way.  First,  there  was 
a  choir  consisting  of  ten  sopranos,  six  altos,  eight 
tenors,  and  twelve  basses.  Secondly,  there  was 
a  choir  composed  of  sixteen  boys,  sopranos 
and  altos,  and  twenty  tenors  and  basses.  Lastly, 
there  was  a  choir  composed  of  young  girls  only, 
six  altos,  six  mezzo-sopranos,  and  twenty  sopranos. 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 


lO/ 


Every  one  was  obliged  to  sign  a  contract  to 
sing  in  the  choir  for  one  year  at  a  fixed  salary, 
payable  every  Saturday.  They  were  obliged  by 
this  contract  to  sing  twice  every  Sunday  for  fifty- 
two  weeks,  at  Christmas  and  Easter  and  ten 
other  special  occasions,  subject  to  the  call  of  the 
director.  They  were  also  obliged  to  attend  two 
rehearsals  every  week,  and  to  submit  to  a  fine 
for  absence  from  church  or  rehearsal  or  tardi- 
ness in  attendance  at  the  hours  named  by  the 
director.  The  contract  was  very  stringent;  and  a 
few  refused  to  sign  it,  and  were  dropped.  As 
Miss  Brown  expressed  it,  "I  propose  to  manage 
this  affair  to  suit  myself;  I  pay  every  one,  and 
shall  demand  their  services  in  any  manner  I 
wish.  I  am  to  be  mistress,  and  not  -the  choir. 
Mr.  Strove  represents  me,  and  he  is  the  sole 
authority  in  everything  regarding  the  music." 

It  was  a  clever  business  arrangement,  and, 
when  fully  understood,  was  readily  accepted,  and 
was  faithfully  carried  out  to  the  letter  on  both 
sides.  Beside  the  choir,  there  was  also  a  reserve 


IO8  ZEGELDA  ROMANIEF. 

choir  that  might  be  called  upon  at  any  time,  so 
that  the  working  choir  was  always  up  to  its  full 
complement  of  voices.  These  reserved  singers 
were,  however,  to  be  paid  only  when  employed. 
All  the  salaries  and  rehearsals  began  at  once, 
though  it  might  be  many  weeks  before  the  first 
public  appearance  of  the  choir  in  the  church. 

Never  had  any  young  musician  such  opportuni- 
ties. Never  had  director  of  church  music  such 
magnificent  resources.  Here  was  a  fine  large 
chorus  of  mixed  voices,  a  choir  of  boys  and  men, 
and  a  strong  female  choir  rich  in  fresh  young  so- 
pranos. Either  choir  alone  could  give  splendid 
musical  effects.  United,  they  would  make  a  grand 
vocal  orchestra.  Contrasted,  placed  one  against 
the  other,  boy  sopranos  against  girl  altos,  boy 
altos  with  mixed  female  voices,  or  backed  up  by 
all  the  basses,  the  combinations  would  be  end- 
less, the  effects  full  of  perpetual  variety  and 
vocal  color.  He  could  put  all  the  boys  with  all 
the  girls'  voices,  put  all  the  boys  in  the  soprano 
part  with  the  mixed  chorus,  or  unite  all  the 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 

basses  with  the  girls'  sopranos,  or  all  the  male 
and  female  altos  with  the  tenors  or  basses  or 
both,  or  he  could  unite  every  voice  in  one  splen- 
did choir,  rich  in  varied  qualities  of  sopranos 
and  with  a  strong  bass  under  all. 

The  system  of  rehearsals  for  the  new  choir 
was  arranged  in  this  way.  The  male  choir  met 
on  Monday  and  Thursday  evenings.  The  mixed 
choir  met  on  Tuesdays  and  Fridays,  and  the  girl 
choir  on  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays.  This  ar- 
rangement continued  for  three  weeks ;  and  then 
they  all  met  on  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays,  in 
this  manner, —  the  female  choir  at  six  o'clock,  the 
men  and  boys  at  seven,  and  all  at  eight  o'clock. 
Each  rehearsed  for  one  hour,  and  then  there  was 
a  rest  for  half  an  hour,  and  then  all  rehearsed 
together  from  half-past  nine  till  half-past  ten. 

At  the  first  rehearsals,  each  one  received  a 
book  of  practice  music  only,  consisting  of  a  selec- 
tion of  the  usual  styles  of  music  used  in  churches, 
—  chants,  anthems,  hymns,  etc.  Beside  this,  each 
received  a  number  of  sheets  of  manuscript  music, 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

each  containing  one  part  only.  The  idea  was  to 
treat  the  choir  as  an  orchestra;  and  each  singer 
had  only  his  own  part,  and  knew  nothing  of 
what  others  might  have  to  do. 

The  first  general  rehearsal,  when  all  were 
united  for  the  first  time,  was  a  revelation  in 
vocal  music,  a  discovery  in  art,  the  opening  of  a 
new  and  splendid  field  in  church  music,  some- 
thing so  novel  and  striking  that  the  choir  was 
instantly  kindled  to  the  highest  enthusiasm  for  its 
new  work  and  its  new  director. 

The  splendid  music-room  was  brilliantly  lighted. 
The  girls'  choir  had  met  at  six  o'clock,  the  male 
choir  came  at  seven,  and  at  eight  the  mixed  choir 
appeared,  and  for  the  first  time  they  all  met,  and 
made  each  other's  acquaintance.  Sebastian  briefly 
introduced  them  to  each  other,  and  then  the 
mixed  choir  rehearsed  alone.  At  half-past  nine, 
the  doors  were  thrown  open,  and  Miss  Brown, 
together  with  a  brilliant  company  of  invited 
guests,  including  the  critics  of  the  leading  papers, 
came  in  and  took  seats.  The  chorus  was  ar- 


ZEGELDA     RO.VIAXIEP. 


Ill 


ranged  in  a  semicircle  at  the  end  of  the  room, 
the  mixed  choir  in  the  centre,  the  male  choir  on 
the  right,  and  the  girls'  choir  on  the  left.  A 
competent  accompanist  had  been  employed,  and 
was  seated  at  the  piano  in  the  centre  of  the  half- 
circle  ;  and  Sebastian  took  his  place  upon  a 
platform  behind  the  piano  near  the  centre. 

When  everything  was  ready,  Sebastian  called 
his  forces  to  order,  and  thus  addressed  them :  — 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen,  boys  and  girls,  we 
have  met  for  the  first  time  as  a  new  musical 
organization  to  try  a  new  experiment  in  church 
music.  You  have  in  part  made  each  other's 
acquaintance  as  three  separate  choirs,  and  I 
already  feel  you  are  inspired  with  a  sincere  de- 
sire to  do  your  best  to  carry  out  the  noble  aims 
of  the  lady  who  has  so  generously  established 
the  organization."  (There  was  a  round  of  ap- 
plause at  this.)  "There  will  be  eight  solo  voices 
added  in  time,  yet  all  are  equal  in  the  work, 
each  one  has  an  honorable  share  in  the  music; 
and,  if  we  all  generously  work  together,  ]•  think 


112 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


you  will  see  that  each  and  all  may  take  pride  in 
the  new  choir."  (Again  there  was  applause  both 
from  the  choir  and  the  audience.)  "The  first 
piece  we  will  try  is  a  simple  psalm  arranged  for 
all  the  .voices.  You  will  read  it  from  the  manu- 
scripts you  have  been  studying  for  the  past  three 
weeks.  Are  you  ready?" 


CHAPTER  VI. 

O  sing  unto  the  Lord  a  new  song !  —  Psalnts. 

OBSERVE  the  structure  of  the  choir.  It  is  es- 
sentially three  choirs  united,  and  is  -practically 
one  choir  with  eleven  parts.  First  is  the  adult 
mixed  choir,  in  four  parts ;  next,  the  men  and 
boys'  choir,  in  four  parts;  and,  lastly,  the  girls' 
choir,  in  three  parts,  or  apparently  only  nine 
parts,  as  the  bass  and  tenors  in  the  two  first 
choirs  are  the  same.  In  reality,  they  were  not; 
for  the  bass  of  the  mixed  choir  was  considered  a 
first  bass,  and  the  bass  of  the  second  choir  was  a 
second  bass,  making  on  the  score  laid  upon  the 
conductor's  desk  eleven  real  parts.  It  may  be 
objected  that  this  division  of  parts  was  only  imag- 
inary, and  that  the  three  soprano  parts  were 


114 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EP. 


really  only  one.  The  distinction  is  correct.  The 
boy  sopranos  are  a  distinct  part  or  voice,  like- 
wise the  girls  or  women,  precisely  as  in  the 
orchestra  the  first  violins  and  the  flutes  may 
and  do  play  the  same  notes,  yet  no  one  thinks 
of  calling  them  only  one  part  in  the  score.  This 
assemblage  of  singers,  met  under  the  direction  of 
Sebastian  Strove,  and  in  the  pay  of  Miss  Brown, 
is  believed  to  be  entirely  novel.  It  is  divided  ac- 
cording to  the  natural  and  well-defined  qualities 
of  the  human  voice,  as  found  in  men,  women, 
boys,  and  girls.  Every  composer  has  written  for 
these  voices,  and  this  is  merely  a  union  of  them 
all  in  one  vocal  organization.  This  explanation  is 
essential  to  a  right  understanding  of  the  remark- 
able performance  that  immediately  followed  the 
speech  Sebastian  made  to  the  singers. 

It  was  a  setting  of  Psalm  xcviii.  of  the  Com- 
mon Prayer-Book,  in  eleven  parts,  as  arranged  by 
Sebastian  from  an  anthem  (in  four  parts)  he  ob- 
tained from  a  church  music-book.  The  music 
itself  was  good,  but  of  no  special  merit.  Of  this, 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF.  j  j - 

we  now  care  nothing,  as  the  interest  centres 
wholly  on  the  vocal  orchestration  of  the  work. 

It  began  with  these  words :  "  O  sing  unto  the 
Lord  a  new  song;  for  he  hath  done  marvellous 
things.  With  his  own  right  hand,  and  with  his 
holy  arm,  hath  he  gotten  himself  the  victory"  and 
was  sung  in  the  following  manner :  the  sopranos 
of  the  mixed  choir,  which  may  be  distinguished 
as  simply  the  soprano,  took  up  the  first  words 
as  a  solo,  and  were  joined  by  the  bass  and  tenor 
in  trio  on  the  second  line.  At  the  words  '•''hath 
he  gotten"  etc.,  the  girl  sopranos  joined  the  mel- 
ody. It  was  as  if  that  part  had  been  suddenly 
touched  with  a  white  light.  The  silvery  bright- 
ness of  the  girls'  voices  seemed  a  second  tone 
laid  over  the  soprano,  and -yet  part  of  it,  and  giv- 
ing it  an  entirely  new  character.  Those  who 
were  not  occupied  were  struck  with  the  effect; 
and  there  was  a  kindling  of  eyes  and  a  sense  of 
excitement  that,  had  not  Sebastian  held  them 
firmly  in  hand,  would  have  been  disastrous. 

Small    time  for  thought,   for,   with  a  sweep  of 


jjg  ZEGELDA     ROMA  XI EF. 

the  baton,  all  the  tenors  and  basses  were  joined- 
in  four  parts  in  a  male  quartet.  The  current  of 
the  music  had  widened  and  spread  along  the 
back  of  the  choir.  "  The  Lord  declared  his  salva- 
tion ;  his  righteousness  hath  he  openly  showed  in  the 
sight  of  the  heathen"  The  girls  and  women  were 
startled  by  the  abrupt  change  in  the  music ;  and 
some  were  so  absorbed  in  listening  to  the  music, 
they  nearly  lost  their  places.  At  the  next 
line,  "He  hath  remembered"  etc.,  a  portion  of  the 
tenors  ceased;  and  the  melody  sprang  to  the  boy 
sopranos,  thus  making  a  quartet  of  soprano,  first 
tenor,  first  and  second  bass.  Here  was  a  new 
combination,  a  new  quality  of  tone. 

At  the  words  beginning,  "Show  yourselves  joy- 
ful unto  the  Lord"  etc.,  the  sopranos  and  altos 
were  in  duet.  The  next  line,  "Praise  the  Lord 
upon  the  harp,  sing  to  the  harp  with  thanksgiving" 
was  given  to  the  girls  alone,  in  three  parts, — 
soprano,  mezzo,  and  alto.  The  effect  of  this 
sudden  change,  from  boys  and  men  to  the  close- 
wrought  harmony  and  penetrating  tone  of  the 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN1EF.  jj- 

female  voices,  was  not  only  wonderfully  effective, 
but  surprisingly  beautiful.  It  was  really  an  or- 
chestral effect. 

The  next  line,  "  With  trumpets  and  shawms" 
was  by  all  the  tenors  and  basses ;  and  at  the 
next  line  the  melody  was  caught  up  by  the  girls' 
voices,  the  sopranos  and  mezzos  being  united. 
Here,  again,  was  a  new  combination,  a  new  tone 
color.  At  the  line  beginning,  "Let  the  sea  make  a 
noise,"  the  mixed  choir  had  the  music  in  four 
parts.  At  the  words,  "Let  the  floods  clap  their 
hands"  the  male  choir  joined  them,  the  boy  so- 
pranos carrying  the  melody,  and  the  boy  altos 
joining  the  adult  altos,  with  all  the  men  in  two 
parts  only.  At  the  last  line,  "  With  righteousness 
shall  he  judge  the  world"  etc.,  the  entire  choir 
was  massed  together,  all  the  girls'  voices  being 
combined  in  the  melody,  and  the  boy  sopranos 
taking  to  the  tenor  part. 

For  a  moment  there  was  a  pause.  Neither 
singers  nor  audience  seemed  to  know  what  to  do 
or  say.  The  performance  had  been  so  unique,  so 


U  g  ZE  GEL  DA    R  OMA  NIE  F. 

unlike  any  choir  music  heard  before,  they  were 
lost  for  words  to  express  their  admiration.  Then 
there  sprung  up  spontaneously  a  hearty  round  of 
applause  from  all  present,  except  Sebastian.  Miss 
Brown  rose  from  her  seat,  and,  coining  forward, 
took  him  by  the  hand,  and  said,  so  that  all 
might  hear  :  — 

"You  have  carried  out  my  ideas  to  perfection, 
and  in  a  manner  that  far  exceeded  my  expecta- 
tions. I  must  give  you  the  credit  of  doing  more 
with  my  plans  than  I  thought  possible." 

This  was  followed  by  a  hearty  round  of  ap- 
plause from  the  choir. 

If  the  young  man  had  been  a  city  youth,  he 
would  have  been  greatly  flattered,  and  perhaps 
upset  and  spoiled  by  such  praise.  He  had  been 
a  student  only,  a  dreamer  and  a  recluse.  He 
knew  the  toils  he  had  passed  through,  the  priva- 
tions he  had  endured  to  get  his  education,  and 
he  knew  his  own  shortcomings  too  well  to  be 
disturbed. 

He   said    to   his  patron  :  "  I  thank  you  for  your 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF.  j  jg 

good  opinion ;  but  it  is,  I  fear,  misplaced,  or  at 
least  premature.  The  choir  have  not  yet  got  to 
work,  and  they  are  not  yet  accustomed  to  this 
style  of  music." 

"Then  I  am  the  more  pleased,"  said  the  lady, 
with  a  smile.  "If  this  is  only  the  beginning,  I 
do  not  know  what  new  delights  and  surprises  you 
will  bring  us." 

Then  she  returned  to  her  seat  among  her 
friends.  As  for  them,  they  remarked  among 
themselves  that  "this  time  Miss  Brown  had  se- 
cured the  right  sort  of  lion,  and  that  her  ideas  of 
church  music  would  really  come  to  something." 

Sebastian  turned  to  the  choir,  and  said  briefly : 
"I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  approval, 
but  let  us  not  forget  that  this  is  the  first  at- 
tempt. Try  to  get  accustomed  to  hearing  the 
music  move  from  part  to 'part,  and  do  not  watch 
the  others,  but  look  out  for  your  own  work. 
You  did  very  well  for  the  first  time,  but  we  must 
not  be  content.  We  have  much  to  learn  before 
we  are  welded  into  a  complete  yocal  orchestra." 


120 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 


The  next  piece  was  a  hymn  set  to  the  familiar 
hymn-tune  entitled  Germany.  There  were  four 
verses ;  and  they  were  given  without  pause  or 
interlude,  by  simply  repeating  the  tune  as  a 
whole,  but  with  a  different  arrangement  of  the 
voices  each  time.  There  was  a  prelude  of  only 
a  few  bars  on  the  piano,  merely  to  give  the  key 
and  time,  and  not  in  any  way  suggesting  the 
melody  to  follow.  The  hymn  began  with  the 
melody  of  the  tune  by  all  the  soprano  girls. 
They  sang  one  line  only,  and  then  they  were 
joined  by  the  girls.'  voices  on  the  mezzo  part, 
thus  making  a  duet.  The  third  line  was  a  trio 
by  the  boy  sopranos  and  altos  and  the  second 
tenors.  The  fourth  line  was  in  full  harmony,  the 
boy  and  girl  sopranos  having  the  melody,  the 
boys  and  mezzo  girls  having  the  alto>  the  girl 
altos  and  second  tenors  .having  the  third  part,  and 
the  second  bass  having  the  bass  of  the  tune. 
The  piano  had  the  simple  score  of  the  tune,  and 
gave  the  full  harmony.  This  finished  the  first 
verse. 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIES. 


121 


The  second  verse  followed  at  once,  the  so- 
pranos having  the  melody  alone  on  the  first  line, 
and  continuing  it  till  the  end  of  the  verse.  At 
the  second  line,  they  were  joined  by  the  boy  altos 
and  the  first  bass  in  a  trio.  The  third  line  was  a 
trio  in  parts,  and  arranged  in  this  way,p- sopranos 
and  girls  in  the  soprano  on  the  melody,  boys  on 
the  alto  and  the  second  tenors.  The  last  line  was 
massed  up  in  four  parts,  with  the  sopranos,  the 
soprano  and  mezzo  girls  on  the  air,  the  boy  and 
girl  altos  united,  and  the  second  tenors  and  basses. 

The  third  verse  was  treated-  more  as  a  single 
melody,  the  first  tenors  giving  the  first  line  of 
the  melody,  the  altos  taking  it  on  the  second 
line,  and  the  altos  and  the  girl  sopranos  and 
mezzos  having  the  trio  in  the  third  line.  The 
fourth  line  was  in  four  parts  again,  with"  both 
altos  and  mezzos  among  the  girls  on  the  melody, 
the  altos  taking  their  own  part,  and  assisted  by 
the  first  tenors  and  first  basses. 

The  last  verse  was  wholly  choral,  and  began 
in  the  mixed  choir  in  four  parts.  They  had  two 


122 


ZEGELDA    ROMANIEP. 


lines;  and  in  the  third  line,  where  the  trio  comes 
in  the  tune,  the  altos,  sopranos,  and  tenors  were 
joined  by  the  boy  sopranos  and  altos,  and  the 
second  tenors,  thus-  doubling  each  part.  In  the 
last  verse,  the  entire  choir  was  massed  as  a 
whole,  the  soprano  and  mezzo  girls  and  the  boy 
sopranos  all  being  concentrated  on  the  melody, 
and  the  other  parts  being  simply  doubled, 
throughout. 

It  was  difficult  to  say  which  were  the  most 
pleased  with  this  performance,  the*  listeners  or 
the  "choir.  The  effect  was  so  novel,  so  highly 
colored,  and  so  varied  in  tone  at  every  line, 
that  it  was  like  seeing  a  beautiful  picture.  The 
melody  was  always  there,  now  in  one  part,  now 
in  another,  the  harmony  continually  shifting  in 
tone,  color,  and  yet  fully  sustained  by  the  accom- 
paniment that  rigidly  followed  the  construction 
of  the  tune.  The  tune  itself  is  melodious,  and 
readily  lent  itself  to  this  orchestral  treatment,  the 
trio  in  the  third  line  naturally  suggesting  a  varied 
treatment  of  the  parts. 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 


123 


It  may  be  worth  while  to  briefly  observe  the 
actual  effect  of  such  an  arrangement  of  a  tune. 

The  tune  began  as  a  solo,  followed  by  a  duet, 
in  the  pure  silvery  voices  of  the  girls,  with  these 
words :  "  There  seems  a  voice  in  every  gale,  a  tongue 
in  every  opening  flower"  At  once,  the  melody 
moved  to  the  boys  and  men  in  a  trio  with  the 
third  line,  "  Which  tells,  O  Lord,  the  wondrous 
tale"  and  instantly  the  music  is  fully  choral  on 
the  last  line,  "  Of  thy  indulgence,  love,  and  power" 
The  boy  sopranos  and  girl  sopranos  carry  the 
melody,,  clear,  bright,  and  incisive,  over  the  rich 
harmony  of  girls,  boys,  and  men,  united  on  the 
other  parts. 

The  next  verse  assumes  an  entirely  different 
character.  The  adult  sopranos  carry  the  melody 
of  the  verse  through  :  — 

"  The  birds  that  rise  on  soaring  wing 
Appear  to  Aymn  their  Maker's  praise, 
And  all  the  mingling  sounds  of  spring 
To  Thee  a  general  anthem  raise" 

On   the   second    line,  it  is    a  duet   between   the 


124 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN1EP. 


sopranos,  boys  and  men.  On  the  third  line,  this 
trio  is  reinforced  by  adding  the  girl  sopranos  to 
the  melody,  and  the  last  line  is  choral ;  all  the 
girls,  except  the  altos,  uniting  on  the  soprano, 
and  the  girl  and  boy  altos  being  united  on  one 
part,  the  whole  sustained  by  the  second  tenors 
and  basses.  There  the  effect  was  entirely  dif- 
ferent, growing  richer  and  fuller,  the  tune  being 
really  performed  after  the  first  line  by  men,  boys, 
and  girls,  assisted  by  the  adult  sopranos. 

The  third  verse  began  with  the  tenors  on  the 
line,  "  And  shall  my  voice,  Great  God,  atone." 
The  altos  take  up  the  line,  "Be  mute  'midst 
nature's  loud  acclaim  ?  "  The  third  line  follows  in 
trio  with  female  voices  alone  on  the  words,  "No, 
let  my  heart  with  answering  tone"  when  the  first 
basses  are  added  to  these  female  voices  to  make 
a  quartet,  the  two  girls'  parts  being  doubled  on 
the  melody.  Here  again  is  an-  entirely  different 
tonal  coloring,  and  fitting  the  sentiment  of  the 
words  perfectly.  ^ 

The    last  verse    is    choral    throughout,   growing 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF.  j^,- 

riclier   as    it    proceeds,    the    melody   standing    out 
clear    and    sharp    with    the    three    soprano    parts 

united. 

"  And  nature's  debt  is  small  to  mine: 
Thou  bad"st  her  being  bounded  be  ; 
But,  matchless  proof  of  love  divine, 
Thou  gav'st  immortal  life  to  me" 

Just  at  the  conclusion  of  this  piece,  a  servant 
entered  and  spoke  to  Miss  Brown.  She  seemed 
somewhat  concerned  for  a  moment,  and  then  the 
servant  spoke  to  Sebastian, — 

"  If  you  please,  sir,  there  is  a  woman  below 
wishes  to  see  you.  She  says  she  cannot  wait." 

Bidding  the  choir  rest  for  a  moment,  he  fol- 
lowed the  servant  past  the  curtained  doorway 
into  the  dimly  lighted  parlor,  and  past  that  into 
the  dining-room,  where  the  servants  were  busily 
preparing  supper,  and  then  on  into  the  hall. 

Upon  the  carved  oaken  chair  by  the  door  sat  a 
woman  in  faded  black,  dusty,  travel-stained,  and 
apparently  bowed  with  grief. 

"  You  wished  to  see  me,  madam  —  Oh !  "     And, 


126 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


disregarding  the  servant,  he  took  the  woman  in  his 
arms  as  she  rose,  and  kissed  her  thin,  pale  face. 
There  was  a  rustle  of  silk  behind  him,  and  he 
turned  to  see  who  came.  It  was  Miss  Brown, 
standing  in  severe  and  frigid  silence  before  them. 

"Who  is  this  person,  Mr.  Strove?" 

"My  mother,  madam." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

He,  watching  over  Israel,  slumbers  not  nor  sleeps. — Elijah, 

Miss  TABATHA  BROWN  was  a  person  of  tact 
and  kindly  heart.  She  saw  that  Mrs.  Strove  had 
come  from  a  distance,  and  met  her  son  for  the 
first  time  after  a  long  separation.  She  called  a 
servant,  and  bade  him  prepare  the  library  for 
Mrs.  Strove,  where  she  could  wait  till  the  re- 
hearsal was  finished ;  and,  telling  Sebastian  he 
might  remain  with  his  mother  for  a  few  moments, 
she  ordered  the  supper-room  to  be  opened,  to 
divert  the  attention  of  the  choir  and  her  guests 
from  his  temporary  absence. 

The  moment  he  was  alone  with  his  mother, 
Sebastian  told  her  briefly  what  was  going  on ; 
and  she,  taking  in  the  situation,  said  nothing  of 


ZEGELDA     ROMA  XI EF. 

her  journey  and  arrival,  except  to  explain  that 
she  had  arrived  alone  in  the  city,  and,  going  to 
his"  lodgings,  had  left  her  things,  and  had  followed 
him  to  the  rehearsal.  The  real  reason  of  her 
appearance  in  the  city  she  withheld  till  a  more 
convenient  season. 

The  choir  sang  twice  after  the  supper,  and 
then  went  home,  highly  pleased  with  their  new 
employer,  their  young  director,  and  themselves. 
Sebastian  returned  home  with  his  mother  in  Miss 
Brown's  private  carriage ;  and,  when  they  were 
alone  at  his  lodgings,  she  told  him  all  that  had 
befallen  her  within  the  last  few  days.  A  tornado, 
such  as  are  common  in  the  West,  had  struck  the 
house  in  the  night,  and  destroyed  it  in  a  mo- 
ment. His  father  and  two  brothers  and  his 
youngest  sister  were  instantly  killed.  She  alone 
had  escaped,  unharmed.  His  other  brothers  and 
sisters  were  employed  and  living  in  other  places, 
and  had  escaped.  The  storm  had  also  ruined 
the  crops  and  overturned  the  orchards.  None  of 
his  brothers  or  sisters  were  doing  more  than  sup- 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF.  I2Q 

port  themselves.  Therefore,  she  had  buried  her 
dead,  sold  the  ruined  farm  for  a  pittance,  and 
had  come  to  the  East,  to  him,  as  her  only  stay  in 
life.  The  news,  dreadful  as  it  was,  did  not  move 
him  greatly.  His  father  had  not  been  a  true 
father  to  him.  His  brothers  and  sisters  he  hardly 
knew,  except  as  children.  His  ways  had  not 
been  their  ways,  and  they  had  of  late  years  grown 
apart. 

Now  was  he  glad  of  his  success.  He  would  take 
better  lodgings  at  once,  and  his  mother  should 
keep  his  home  for  him.  He  told  her  all, —  his 
good  and  ill  fortune,  omitting  nothing,  save  the 
episode  of  his  acquaintance  with  Zegelda  Ro- 
manief.  At  last,  all  had  been  told ;  and  the  land- 
lady kindly  offered  Mrs.  Strove  shelter  for  the 
night,  and  gave  her  the  room  lately  occupied  by 
Zegelda  and  her  mother. 

In  the  morning,  Sebastian  at  once  prepared  to 
remove  with  his  mother  to  better  quarters.  He 
would  take  a  flat,  and  she  should  keep  house  for 
him  till  —  till  he  found  Zegelda.  They  went  out 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

to  breakfast,  and  then  returned  to  Sebastian's 
room.  When  they  were  alone,  his  mother  drew 
from  her  pocket  a  soiled  and  faded  photograph, 
while  in  her  eyes  there  began  to  kindle  a  strange 
light,  as  when  one  turns  over  whitened  ashes  to 
find  a  glow  beneath.  Showing  the  card  to  Se- 
bastian, she  said, — 

'"^fy  son,  who  is  this  person  ?  " 

He  took  it  and  examined  it  carefully,  and  even 
went  with  it  to  the  window,  .turning  his  back  upon 
her.  It  was  a  photograph  of  Zegelda,  dressed  in 
some  fancy  costume.  On  the  card  was  the  name 
of  some  photographer  in  Chicago,  with  a  date  of 
more  than  three  years  before. 

"  Where  did  you  get  it,  mother  ? "  said  the 
young  man,  without  turning  round. 

"  I  found  it  in  the  room  where  I  slept  last 
night.  Do  you  know  the  child?  Has  she  been 
here  lately?" 

The  picture  had  sent  the  blood  to  his  face,  and 
filled  him  with  sudden  emotion.  He  composed 
himself  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  said  with 
assumed  indifference, — 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIES.  '  j^j 

"It  is  a  young  girl,  a  singer,  who  lodged  here 
a  short  time  ago." 

"Did  you  know  her,  my  son?" 

"Yes,  I  knew  her  quite  well.  I  saw  her  often, 
when  she  was  here." 

"My  son,  you  are  concealing  something  from 
me.  Tell  me  all  you  know  of  this  person." 

He  could  not  suppress  the  truth,  and  told  her 
of  his  meeting  with  Zegelda  and  what  he  had 
done  for  her,  omitting  nothing,  save  the  fact  that 
he  loved  her.  How  could  he  tell  of  that?  It 
was  all  so  new,  and  perhaps  he  might  never  see 
her  again.  What  use  to  confess  he  loved  a  girl 
who  had  disappeared  no  one  knew  whither? 

"  What  was  her  name  ?  " 

"  Romanief." 

"Romanief!  Oh,  I  knew  it,  I  knew  it!  It  is 
the  same  face." 

She   spoke   quickly  and   with   rising   excitement. 

He  understood  very  little  that  she  said,  and  sat 
gazing  at  her  in  surprise.  After  a  pause,  he 
spoke. 


132 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEP. 


"  I  do  not  understand  it,  mother.  You  say  you 
know  the  face  ? " 

"I  know  this  face!  Oh,  I  did,  I  did !  A 
mother  well  knows  her  own.  Listen,  my  son, 
and  forgive  me,  if  you  can.  Once  I  was  the  only 
daughter  of  a  clergyman  in  Worcester,  Massachu- 
setts. I  was  indulged  in  every  wish,  and  was 
allowed  all  the  freedom  accorded  to  young  girls 
in  that  secure  and  safe  country.  None  could  be- 
lieve there  were  wolves  in  Massachusetts.  Yet 
one  came, —  a  music-teacher  from  —  from  none 
knew  where.  He  opened  a  school  in  the  town, 
and  I  was  his  pupil.  He  was  very  handsome, — 
oh,  very  handsome  ;  and  half  the  girls  in  the  place 
lost  their  hearts  to  him.  Mine  he  stole  com- 
pletely. I  was  mad,  infatuated,  and  I  loved  him. 
He  persuaded  me  to  marry  him,  and  I  did, — 
secretly  and  against  my  father's  wishes.  For  a 
while  we  were  prosperous  and  happy,  and  we 
travelled  much  about  the  country.  Suddenly,  he 
deserted  me  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  It  was  when  my 
only  child  was  about  one  year  old.  He  aban- 
doned me,  and  took  the  child  with  him." 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

She  paused,  overcome  by  the  recital,  and  there 
was  a  painful  silence  in  the  room.  The  shadow 
of  disaster  and  misery  seemed  to  be  gathering 
about  the  young  man.  He  seemed  chilled  by  its 
shade.  After  an  effort,  he  said  as  quietly  as  he 
could, — 

"  And  you  never  saw  him  again,  nor  the  child  ? " 
"  No,  not  once.  I  sold  all  the  little  property 
he  had  left  with  me,  and  travelled  on  in  search 
of  him  and  the  little  one.  I  lived  in  various 
towns  through  the  West,  and  taught  music  for 
a  living.  I  searched  all  the  papers  for  trace  of 
him,  and  I  found  nothing  except  an  advertise- 
ment of  a  music  school.  I  went  to  that  town, 
but  too  late.  He  had  gone ;  and  there  was  a 
rumor  that  he  had  again  played  false  with  some 
poor  girl's  heart,  and  had  been  hunted  from  the 
place  by  her  brothers,  and  it  was  thought  he  had 
been  killed.  The  rumor  grew  to  what  seemed 
a  certainty.  He  met  his  deserts;  and  after  that 
—  more  than  two  years  after  that  —  I  married 
your  father." 


134 


ZEGELDA     ROMA. VIE  F. 


"Why  did  he  take  the  child?" 

"  I  do  not  know,  unless  he  thought  he  might 
in  some  way  make  her  of  use  in  his  concerts. 
She  had  already,  as  an  infant,  shown  a  most  pre- 
cocious talent  for  music.  For  my  part,  i  hale 
music.  It  is  a  snare  and  a  bitter  grief  for  all 
who  follow  it.  I  used  to  think  it  divine.  I  know 
better  now.  Men  who  follow  music  can  be  vain, 
false,  selfish.  It  seems  to  destroy  their  manliness, 
and  they  become  infirm  of  purpose  and  blind  to 
truth  and  right." 

"  Hush,  mother !     I  cannot  hear  you  say  that." 

"  It  is  the  truth,  my  son.  I  have  seen  much 
of  these  concert-giving  people.  They  are  false 
and  insincere.  But  I  am  forgetting.  My  dead 
past  was  not  buried  all  these  years.  This  girl, 
this  singer  in  this  shameful  dress,  is  my  child.  I 
feel  sure  of  it.  She  has  her  father's  face.  I 
must  see  her  at  once." 

'k  I  fear  you  cannot  see  her,  mother.  She  is 
lost." 

Then   he    told   her  of  Zegelda's    disappearance, 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF.  j  ,  C 

omitting  nothing,  and  even  telling  of  her  fear  and 
dread  of  the  agent,  Sill. 

The  story  seemed  to  completely  unnerve  the 
woman.  She  was  faint  and  ill,  and  was  forced 
to  lie  down  upon  the  bed.  He  soothed  her  as 
best  he  could  with  promises  to  find  the  girl,  to 
bring  her  back  again.  He  would  go  at  once  in 
search  of  —  of  this  person. 

Meanwhile,  his  duty  called.  The  rehearsals  of 
the  choir  took  place  every  night.  It  was  essential 
that  the  singers  should  become  accustomed  to 
each  other  and  the  new  style  of  music  they  were 
to  use.  As  the  choir  was  wholly  unique  in  com- 
position, there  was  no  music  in  print  adapted  to  it, 
and  nearly  all  the  music  had  to  be  prepared  for 
the  choir  in  manuscript.  This  involved  a  great 
deal  of  clerical  labor,  which  Sebastian  at  first 
undertook  to  do  alone.  Miss  Brown  observed 
that  he  was  often  preoccupied  and  restless,  and, 
fearing  he  might  be  ill,  offered  to  provide  a 
music  copyist  and  assistant. 

"  I  see  you  are  overworking,  sir.     That  is  dan- 


136 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN1EF. 


gerous  in  this  climate.  Take  it  more  easily,  and 
keep  your  mind  at  ease." 

Hollow  advice  it  seemed.  How  could  he  rest, 
how  be  at  ease,  and  Zegelda,  his  love  —  no,  his  — 
He  could  not  speak  of  it  at  all,  but  worked  on  in 
feverish  anxiety,  hoping,  trusting,  and  yet  fearing 
he  might  find  her. 

The  time  set  for  the  first  appearance  of  the  choir 
was  fast  approaching.  The  work  on  the  organ  was 
nearly  completed,  and  already  in  the  church ;  and, 
in  fact,  throughout  the  city  there  was  the  greatest 
interest  manifested  in  the  new  experiment  in  church 
music.  The  newspapers  had  given  glowing  ac- 
counts of  the  first  rehearsal,  and  the  plan  of  the 
choir  was  discussed  in  editorials  more  or  less  able. 
Some  thought  the  scheme  a  good  one,  others  were 
sure  no  good  would  ever  come  of  it  for  the  church 
or  for  art.  The  result  was  that  Miss  Tabatha 
Brown  and  her  New  Tenor,  as  he  was  called,  were 
much  talked  about,  which  was  really  a  matter  of 
indifference  to  them  both. 

Sebastian  still  sang  in  the  old  choir;  and,  as  it 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 


137 


was  well  known  he  was  the  director  of  the  new 
organization,  the  members  of  the  choir  and  the 
majority  of  the  people  treated  him  with  a  certain 
formal  politeness,  out  of  respect  for  his  employer. 
At  the  same  time,  the  opinion  in  the  congregation 
was  decidedly  opposed  to  his  plan;  and  many 
predicted  the  new  choir  would  be  a  dismal  failure, 
and  that  the  church  would  be  glad  to  return  to 
its  beloved  quartet.  The  music  committee  were 
unanimous  that  the  church  would  be  deserted  by 
all  self-respecting  Christians  as  soon  as  the  brass 
band  and  opera  chorus  were  introduced  into  the 
church.  That  was  the  way  rumor  had  put  it. 
The  eccentric  Miss  Brown  had  completely  lost 
her  head,  and  intended  to  have  a  military  band 
and  a  chime  of  bells  with  a  monster  chorus  of 
cne  thousand  voices.  It  was  even  darkly  hinted 
that  a  drum-corps  had  been  engaged.  Even  the 
minister,  good  man,  deplored  the  proposed  changes, 
and  feared  the  service  of  song  would  be  of  a  vain 
and  worldly  character,  and  ruinous  to  all  interest 
in  the  sermon. 


138 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 


In  all  this,  the  young  man  kept  up  his  search 
for  Zegelda.  Having  secured  a  flat  and  made  Ins 
mother  comfortable,  he  took  every  hour  free  from 
his  duties  for  this  hopeless  work.  He  felt  sure 
she  had  not  left  the  city.  There  was  no  better 
place  to  hide  than  in  a  great  city.  He  appealed 
to  the  police;  but  they  had  no  information  con- 
cerning such  a  girl,  and  suggested  he  look  for 
her  among  the  music-halls  and  beer-gardens  where 
young  girls  were  sometimes  employed  to  sing.  He 
even  hired  a  detective,  but  nothing  came  of  it  — 
save  the  expense.  He  wandered  for  miles  through 
all  the  streets.  He  haunted  the  music  stores  and 
piano-warerooms.  None  knew  of  her,  none  cared 
for  her.  A  girl  lost, —  it  was  nothing  new.  Better 
let  her  go ;  that  kind  were  not  worth  looking 
after.  As  for  the  agent,  Sill,  none  of  those  who 
knew  him  had  seen  him  for  a  long  time.  He 
had  probably  scraped  together  another  deluded 
company  of  would  be  singers,  and  had  gone  with 
them  "  on  the  road." 

One    night,    after    rehearsal,  he  wandered    aim- 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

lessly  down  town,  sick  and  weary  with  the  hope- 
less search,  and  found  himself,  he  knew  not  how, 
among  a  number  of  low  beer-gardens  where  music 
is  prostituted  to  lure  the  reluctant  drinker.  He 
passed  several  without  thinking  much  about  them, 
and  then  came  to  one  more  flashy  and  disrepu- 
table than  the  rest.  There  was  a  great  crowd 
about  the  door;  and,  hearing  a  sound  of  ap- 
plause, he  went  in  to  see  what  was  going  on. 
There  was  a  long  bar  just  inside  the  door,  and  at 
the  upper  end  sat  a  fat  and  beery  German,  who 
seemed  the  chief  bar-tender,  talking  with  the 
agent,  Sill.  Beyond,  over  the  heads  of  the  crowd, 
could  be  seen  the  stage  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
music-hall. 

Sill's  back  was  turned  to  the  door ;  and  he  did 
not  see  Sebastian,  who  came  up  to  the  bar  and 
stood  close  behind  him.  He  ordered  something 
to  drink,  hoping  to  gain  time  to  hear  what  the 
man  might  be  saying. 

"Tell  you  what,  Somers,  you  can  have  the  gal 
every  night,  from  eight  till  one,  with  four  songs 


140 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


for  fifteen  dollars  a  night,  paid  to  me  in  cash." 

"Fifteen  dollar!  Vat  you  say?  Fifteen  dol- 
lar!" 

"Of  course,  man.  Ain't  she  filling  your  place 
every  night?  You  never  had  no  such  card  be- 
fore." 

"Vat  surity  you  gife  me,  Mr.  Sill?  Bimeby, 
the  girl  come  not  at  all.  How  you  make  her 
come  when  she  have  a  coldt  ?  Dese  young  girls 
alvays  has  a  coldt,  ven  dey  sees  dey  is  in  de- 
mand." 

"  Never  you  mind   that.     I  have  a  hold    on  the 

gal,  and  she  will  come  every  night, —  sure  thing." 

"  Den  I  makes  it  a  drade,  but,  if    the    girl   fail 

to  come  one  time,  you  shall  pay  me  one  hundred 

dollar." 

Just  here  the  man  turned  and  observed  Sebas- 
tian. 

"  Hullo,  Strove !     What  you  doing  here  ? " 
"  Oh !    I   merely  wandered   in  out  of   curiosity." 
"What  you  taking?      Soda!     Lemonade!     Blue 
Moses !     That's   not  the   stuff  for  you.     Come   to 


Z&GELDA     ROMANIEF. 


141 


a  table,  and  I'll  stand  treat.  I  want  to  talk  to 
you,— I  do." 

Thinking  he  might  in  some  way  learn  some- 
thing of  Zegelda,  he  paid  for  the  lemonade  and 
left  it  untouched,  and  followed  the  agent  through 
the  crowd  in  the  music-hall  to  a  table.  A  waiter 
came  at  the  call  of  Sill,  took  an  order  and  a  sly 
wink,  and  departed.  Sill  then  began  to  be  volu- 
ble over  Sebastian's  new  choir  and  position,  say- 
ing it  was  the  talk  of  the  town,  and  proposing 
a  scheme  whereby  an  honest  penny  might  be 
turned  out  of  the  choir. 

"  Cornish,  my  boy !  Cornish  !  That's  what 
you  should  have  out  of  that  thing.  You  should 
make  every  singer  pay  comish  for  the  place." 

The  servant  here  brought  glasses  and  liquor 
that  seemed  to  be  wine  and  was  something  else. 
Sebastian  could  not  refuse  to  drink  with  the  fel- 
low, as  he  hoped  to  gain  some  information  from 
him,  and  he  swallowed  a  little  of  the  stuff.  It 
was  hot  and  bitter,  and  he  drank  as  little  as 
p.):->sible.  Just  then  there  was  a  noisy  sound  of 


j^  ZEGELDA 

applause,  and  he  stood  up  to  see  what  was 
going  on. 

"  Oh,  sit  down !  Sit  down !  Never  mind  that 
rubbish,  it's  nothing  particular." 

The  wretched  band  began  to  play,  and  the 
laughter  and  noise  died  away.  Suddenly  there 
came  a  voice, —  a  woman's  voice,  sweet,  pure, 
and  wonderful,  filling  the  place  as  with  light. 
Sill  had  risen  also,  and  stood  before  Sebastian 
as  if  to  detain  him ;  but  he  broke  away,  and 
dashed  through  the  crowd  toward  the  stage,  over- 
turning a  waiter  and  his  tray  of  beer  on  the  way. 
In  a  moment,  he  was  in  the  clear  space  before 
the  stage.  The  air,  thick  and  blue  with  tobacco 
smoke,  seemed  to  stifle  him,  and  he  felt  faint  and 
dizzy.  He  guessed  at  once,  and  rightly,  that 
the  stuff  he  had  drank  had  been  drugged ;  and 
he  brought  all  the  power  of  his  will  upon  himself 
to  master  its  effects.  Fortunately,  he  had  lived 

• 

a  pure  and  temperate  life,  and  was  strong  and 
well.  At  a  bound,  he  was  upon  the  stage  by  the 
singer's  side. 


ZEGELDA     ROMA. VI EF.  j  ., 

"Zegelda!    Zegelda ! " 

At  once  there  was  a  howl  of  rage,  and  loud 
cries  on  every  side :  "  Put  him  out !  Pull  him 
clown ! "  A  fat  and  beery  brute  sprung  out  from 
the  side  of  the  stage,  and  tried  to  push  him  off. 

"  Stand  back  !  "  he  cried.  "  Stand  back,  or  I 
will  kill  you !  She  is  my  sister." 

In  an  instant,  the  music  stopped,  and  there 
was  an  awful  hush.  The  audience  of  half  a 
thousand  men  and  boys  seemed  to  find  them- 
selves spectators  of  a  tragedy. 

"Kick  him  out!  Kick  him  out!"  cried  Sill 
from  the  crowd. 

"If  you  touch  me,  there  will  be  murder,"  said 
the  young  man,  turning  a  white  and  desperate 
face  upon  the  crowd.  "  She  is  my  sister !  I  lost 
her." 

It  seemed  as  if  the  vast  throng  had  been  sud- 
denly changed  from  beasts  to  men,  for  there  rose 
a  roar  of  approval.  Zegelda  had  paused  in  her 
song,  and  stood  for  a  moment  irresolute.  Then 
she  came  to  Sebastian,  and  said  so  that  all  might 
hear,  — 


I  At  x      ZEGELDA     ROMANIES. 

"Take  me   home!" 

This  was  followed  by  another  roar  of  applause. 
It  was  as  good  as  a  play.  They  were  bound  to 
see  it  out,  and  with  rough  and  ready  humor  bid 
the  man  on  the  stage  retire.  Then  they  made 
a  lane  down  the  middle  of  the  room.  Some  one 
cried  out,  — 

"Take  the  gal  home,  sonny.  You're  a  good 
un!" 

They  stepped  down  from  the  stage,  and  passed 
up  the  lane  between  a  swaying,  tumultuous  crowd 
of  men,  while  the  air  was  rent  with  shouts  and 
screams  of  laughter  and  applause.  They  passed 
on  toward  the  bar-room;  but  the  people  made 
way  for  them,  though  there  were  ill-suppressed 
murmurs  on  every  side.  At  the  door,  with  his 
back  to  the  great  window,  stood  Sill,  with  his 
hand  behind  him  as  if  ready  to  draw  a  revolver. 
His  face  was  black  with  rage  and  hate.  It  was 
clear  he  meant  mischief.  Sebastian  glanced  back 
toward  the  bar,  and  saw  a  man  lift  a  heavy  stone 
bottle  to  hurl  it  after  him.  He  sprung  aside,  and 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN IEF.  j  .- 

the  missile  struck  Sill  full  in  the  face,  and  he  fell 
backward,  with  a  fearful  crash,  through  the  win- 
dow, and  dropped  into  the  street,  covered  with 
blood.  At  the  instant,  a  policeman  appeared 
upon  the  walk. 

"Look  lively,  young  fellow!"  cried  the  officer 
to  Sebastian.  "Get  out  of  this.  There's  going 
to  be  a  bad  row  here." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SEBASTIAN  found  a  carriage  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible, and  put  Zegelda  in  it ;  for  she  was  dressed 
in  some  fancy  costume,  with  a  silken  cap  upon 
her  head.  He  bid  the  driver  take  them  as  quickly 
as  possible  to  his  home,  and  then  entered  the 
carriage  with  Zegelda.  Hardly  was  he  seated  by 
her  side,  when  the  close  air  and  the  motion  of 
the  carriage,  combined  with  the  excitement  he 
had  gone  through,  and  perhaps  the  lingering 
effects  of  the  drugged  liquor,  caused  hire,  to  faint. 
The  girl  was  terribly  frightened  at  this,  and  imag- 
ined he  was  hurt,  and  tried  with  all  the  skill 
she  had  to  revive  him,  and  at  the  same  time 
covering  him  with  passionate  caresses,  and  appeal- 
ing to  him  to  revive  for  her  sake.  When  the 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF.  j47 

carriage  stopped,  she  was  obliged  to  call  a  police- 
man to  assist  her  to  take  him  to  his  rooms. 
At  the  door  stood  his  mother,  surprised,  alarmed, 
and  perplexed  at  the  sight  of  this  strange  girl 
in  such  unseemly  dress,  bringing  up,  aided  by 
the  janitor  and  the  officer,  her  son,  pale  and 
perhaps  lifeless.  She  led  the  way  in  silence 
to  Sebastian's  room,  and  then  she  turned  to 
the  officer  for  explanations.  He  could  tell  her 
nothing,  and  went  away.  The  driver  was  im- 
portunate for  his  pay  ;  and,  in  paying  him  and  in 
sending  the  too  inquisitive  janitor  for  a  doctor, 
she  forgot  the  girl.  She  closed  the  outer  door, 
and  returned  to  the  chamber.  There  stood  the 
girl,  bending  over  Sebastian  and  bathing  his  fore- 
head in  water.  Who  was  the  creature  ?  What 
had  she  to  do  with  her  son  ?  What  terrible  and 
shameful  disclosure  was  at  hand  ?  She  saw  a 
girl  in  most  unwomanly  dress,  tending  upon  her 
boy;  and  she  was  rilled  with  anger  and  dismay. 
"  Who  are  you,  Miss  ?  What  do  you  wish 
with  my  son  ?  " 


148 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 


"  I  am  his  friend,"  said  she,  without  looking 
up.  "  Or,  rather,  he  is  mine.  God  bless  him ! 
He  saved  me  at  the  risk  of  his  life  from  worse 
than  death." 

"  What  right  have  you  in  his  room  ?  How 
came  he  to  this  ?  What  right  have  you  to  call 
him  your  friend  ?  " 

"The  best  right.     I  love  him." 

With  that,  she  turned  and  faced  his  mother, 
and  pulled  off  the  silken  cap  on  her  head.  The 
woman  stood  as  one  frozen  with  amazement  and 
alarm.  She  could  not  speak,  but  stood  gazing 
at  the  girl  with  eyes  in  which  tears  vainly  tried 
to  well  forth. 

"  Get  me  some  ice  water,"  said  Zegelda.  "  I 
fear  he  has  been  drugged." 

The  woman  did  not  move,  but  stood  gazing 
at  her  earnestly ;  and  the  girl  again  turned  to 
Sebastian,  and  bathed  his  face  in  silence. 

"  O  my  child !  Do  you  not  know  me  ?  I 
am  your  mother." 

The  girl  looked  at  her  for  an  instant  in  won- 
der, and  then  said  slowly, — 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


149 


"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean.  I  only  know 
he  saved  me  from  that  horrible  garden,  and  I 
mean  to  stay  here  and  help  him.  I  will  never 
leave  him  again  as  long  as  I  live,  unless  he 
bids  me.  Now  bring  me  the  ice  water." 

"  I   am   his    mother,  girl." 

"  Oh  !  " 

Fortunately,  the  doctor  arrived  just  then ;  and, 
in  his  presence,  nothing  more  was  said  or  done, 
except  to  minister  to  Sebastian's  wants.  The 
physician  was  evidently  surprised  to  see  Zegelda 
in  such  strange  disguise,  but  he  wisely  said  noth- 
ing. He  calmed  Mrs.  Strove's  fears  concerning 
Sebastian,  left  a  prescription  for  him,  and  went 
away,  saying  that  the  young  man  was  not  hurt 
and  would  revive  presently.  In  fact,  he  did 
revive  just  after  the  doctor  had.  gone,  and  sat 
up  upon  the  bed,  gazing  in  bewilderment  upon 
the  two  women. 

"  What  has  happened,  mother  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  my  son.  You  were  brought 
here  senseless  in  a  carriage  by  this  young  per- 
son." 


150 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIES. 


"  Oh,  yes !  I  remember.  If  I  had  not  dodged 
that  bottle,  I  might  have  paid  for  my  adventure 
with  my  life." 

With  that,  he  rose  from  the  bed  and  walked 
into  the  next  room.  Zegelda  followed  him  closely, 
and  even  came  to  his  side  and  put  her  ams 
about  him. 

"  How  can  I  ever  thank  you  ?  You  saved  me 
from  that  man.  You  will  forgive  me,  will  you 
not  ?  " 

"Forgive   you!     For  what?" 

"For  leaving  you,  when  you  lost  your  place  in 
the  church.  I  was  afraid  I  was  a  burden  to 
you." 

"  Sebastian,"  said  Mrs.  Strove,  with  some 
severity,  "  who  is  this  person  ?  " 

"Pardon  me,  both  of  you.  Zegelda,  this  is  my 
mother." 

Then  he  stopped,  and  stood  silent  and  irres- 
olute before  them.  How  could  he  say  more, — 
how  tell  the  child  the  claim  his  mother  made 
on  her,  how  explain  to  his  mother  his  rela- 


ZEGELDA     ROMA  XI EF.  jrj 

tion  to  this  strange,  strange  creature,  in  such  un- 
womanly dress  ?  He  thus  stood,  revolving  these 
things  quickly  in  his  mind,  when  he  felt  a  soft 
arm,  warm  and  beautiful,  steal  in  his.  Her  soft 
presence  close  to  his  side,  her  deep  and  burning 
eyes  bent  on  his,  filled  every  vein  in  his  being 
with  passionate  love.  She  seemed  to  divine  some 
impending  disaster,  for  he  saw  her  bosom  rise  in 
stormy  agitation.  Yet  he  must  tell  her  of  his 
mother's  conjecture  and  claim. 

"Zegelda,  this  is  my  mother.  She  was  once 
your  father's  wife,  and  we  think  she  is  your 
mother  also." 

She  started  away  from  him,  with  blazing  eyes. 
"  It  is  false.  My  mother  is  dead  !  " 

"  Dead ! " 

"  Yes.  She  died  a  week  ago,  in  a  miserable 
tenament  down  town.  She  starved  to  death.  I 
might  have  followed  her,  had  not  MacCurry  found 
us.  He  gave  me  food  and  this  dress,  and  paid 
for  my  mother's  funeral." 

"  MacCurry  !     Who  is   he  ? " 


152 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 


"  The  man  you  call   Sill." 

'*  My  child,"  said  Mrs.  Strove,  taking  Zegelda's 
hand,  "you  have  your  father's  face  and  name. 
I  feel  sure  my  child  lives,  and  that  you  are  — 
my  little  Mary." 

"But  my  name  is  Zegelda.  I  was  never  called 
anything  else." 

"You  were  very  young  when  I  lost  you.  You 
may  not  remember.  Yet  my  heart  tells  me  you 
are  my  child." 

"I  do  not  believe  it." 

"  Can  you  not  prove  your  parentage,  Zegelda  ? " 
said  Sebastian.  "  Have  you  no  papers,  no  doc- 
uments of  any  kind." 

"  Documents !  I  don't  know  what  you  mean. 
O  Sebastian,  it  can't  be  true.  It  cannot  be  true." 

She  came  nearer  to  him,  and  seemed  to  cling 
to  him  for  help  and  protection. 

"  My  child,"  said  Mrs.  Strove,  "  I  feel  sure  I 
am  right.  Sebastian  is  your  brother." 

"  He,  my  brother,  my  brother !  Oh,  no,  no, 
madam  !  That  cannot  be,  for  I  love  him." 


ZEGEL  DA     ROMA  NIEF. 


153 


"Zegelda!     You  love  me  ?*' 

"Love  you!  How  could  I  help  it?"  she 
cried  in  innocent  and  girlish  frankness.  "  You 
were  the  first  who  ever  spoke  a  kind  word  to 
me.  You  saved  me  from  that  man.  Of  course, 
I  love  you." 

"Sebastian,"  said  Mrs.  Strove,  gravely,  "your 
sister  excites  herself  unnecessarily.  Bid  her  calm 

herself,  and  behave  with  more  propiiety." 

******** 

The  next  morning,  Sebastian  lodged  a  complaint 
with  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty 
to  Children  against  Sill,  and  before  night  he  was 
under  arrest.  An  examination  soon  after,  before 
a  police  magistrate,  disclosed  the  fact  that  he 
had  a  contract,  signed  by  Zegelda's  father  two 
years  before,  and  giving  her  services  to  Sill  as  a 
concert  singer  for  a  term  of  three  years.  Six 
months  of  this  contract  had  been  served  by  her 
at  the  time  the  concert  company  broke  up  that 
winter's  night,  in  the  little  town  up  the  river, 
lie  had  found  her  just  as  her  mother  died,  and 


154 


Z  EG  ELD  A     ROMANIEP. 


by  threats  had  forced  her  to  carry  out  the  con- 
tract, and  sing  for  him  in  the  beer-garden. 
Alone  by  her  dead  mother's  bed,  almost  starv- 
ing for  food,  without  friends  or  help,  she  had 
consented  to  sing  for  the  man,  well  knowing 
he  had  no  rights  over  her,  and  yet  unable  to 
resist  his  demands.  The  fact  that  the  contract 
placed  the  girl  in  practical  slavery  to  him,  the 
fact  that  he  had  never  paid  either  her  or  her 
father  a  cent  under  the  contract,  made  it  void 
long  ago ;  but  what  could  she  do  ?  Her  position 
was  not  without  example.  Such  things  have  been 
done  before,  and  all  the  public  sees  is  the 
face  of  a  child  musician  smiling  in  a  tragedy 
upon  the  concert  stage.  Nothing  could  be  done 
with  the  wretch,  except  to  take  away  the  contract 
and  wring  from  him  a  confession  of  what  he 
knew  of  Zegelda's  life  previous  to  the  breaking  • 
up  of  that  wandering  concert  company. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Through  darkness  riseth  light. —  ELIJAH. 

ALL  things  were  now  ready, —  the  choir  thor- 
oughly drilled,  the  alterations  in  the  church  com- 
pleted, and  the  organ  finished.  It  was  the  Sat- 
urday night  before  the  first  appearance  of  the 
choir,  and  Sebastian  had  gone  down  to  the 
church  early  in  the  evening  to  see  that  all  was 
ready  for  the  final  rehearsal.  The  janitor  ad- 
mitted him  into  the  church,  and  he  went  upstairs 
to  the  organ-loft  and  lit  one-  gas-jet  over  the 
desk.  It  was  a  curious  scene.  The  church 
seemed  like  a  vaulted  cave,  dim,  strange,  and  vast. 
On  either  side  of  the  great  window  that  seemed 
to  glow  with  subdued  fire  in  the  light  of  the 
moon,  stood  the  painted  pipes  of  the  double 


iS6 


ZEGELDA     RO.VfA.VtEF. 


organ.  Beneath  the  window  were  the  seats  of  the 
choir,  rising  tier  on  tier  from  the  front  of  the 
gallery.  The  organ-desk  stood  in  the  centre 
near  the  front.  Directly*  behind  it  was  a  grand 
piano,  and  beside  it  a  harp  covered  with  a  hood 
of  canvas. 

The  young  man  paused  in  thought  before  the 
scene.  Here  was  the  realization  of  all  his  dreams. 
His  chance  had  come,  his  new  life  and  work 
would  now  begin.  The  day  was  at  hand,  and 
through  all  the  darkness  of  his  life  there  was 
about  to  rise  the  light  of  love  and  joy.  He  had 
hoped  Zegelda  would  come  with  him  to  the  church 
before  the  rehearsal.  He  had  much  to  tell  her. 
She  had  gone  out  during  the  afternoon,  and  he 
had  therefore  come  alone. 

He  opened  the  organ-desk,  set  the  hydraulic 
engine  in  motion,  and  sat  down  before  the  keys. 
He  would  play,  alone  in  the  church,  a  solemn 
psalm  for  all  the  mercies  that  had  blessed  his 
life. 

"Let  us  first  see  what  we  have  here,"  he  said 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF, 


157 


aloud,  as  he  began  to  draw  the  stops.  "An  open 
diapason  of  sixteen  foot  tone  (large  scale),  a 
second  diapason,  a  doppel  flute,  a  gamba,  and 
trumpet,  each  of  eight  foot  tone.  Then  a  flute 
harmonic,  an  octave,  and  clarion,  each  of  four 
foot  tone.  Twelfth,  fifteenth,  and  three  rank 
mixture.  So  much  for  the  great  organ,  simple 
and  yet  strong,  just  the  thing  for  such  a  choir. 
Now,  for  the  swell  organ,"  he  continued,  read- 
ing off  the  stops  as  he  drew  them  out.  "  Open 
diapason,  stopped  diapason,  viola,  oboe,  corno- 
pean, flato  traverse,  violina,  and  a  sixteen  foot 
bordone.  Enough  for  all  the  variety  needed, 
and  well  suited  to  the  wants  of  the  accompanist. 
Pedal-stops,  open  diapason  (very  large  scale), 
bordone,  and  trombone,  each  of  sixteen  foot  tone, 
and  a  violoncello  of  eight  foot.  Last  of  all,  on 
the  swell  manual,  a  tuba  mirabilis,  really  a  mar- 
vellous trumpet,  fit  to  lead  an  entire  congrega- 
tion." 

The  organ  is  worthy  of  study.     It  was  designed 
with  care,  to  serve  the  purposes  of  this  particular 


I  rg-  ZEGELDA     ROMANIES. 

church  and  choir.  It  was  a  comparatively  inex- 
pensive instrument,  costing  only  $5,600,  $5,000  for 
the  instrument  and  §600  for  the  reversed  action 
brought  to  the  front  of  the  gallery.  It  will  be 
seen  that  it  is  not  a  "  show "  organ,  for  the  dis- 
playing of  nimble  fingers  and  the  player's  vanity 
or  the  tickling  of  congregational  ears.  It  was  a 
chorus  organ,  with  just  variety  enough  to  furnish 
a  background  for  the  solo  voices ;  very  rich  in 
diapasons  and  basses,  and  as  a  whole  of  dignified 
and  church-like  tone. 

Having  drawn  every  stop,  the  young  man  pre- 
pared to  play  alone  in  the  church  a  psalm  of 
praise  for  all  the  mercies  that  seemed  about  to 
crown  his  life.  At  the  instant,  he  heard  a  moan. 
It  seemed  to  come  out  of  the  darkness  of  the 
church.  He  stood  up,  and  looked  over  the  rail- 
ing into  the  great,  black  cave  below.  There  was 
nothing,  save  blackness  and  darkness.  Again  he 
heard  it,  plainer  than  before.  It  seemed  to  freeze 
his  heart  with  vague  horror  and  alarm.  He  cried 
out,  and  asked  who  was  there.  There  was  no 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


159 


answer,  save  a  rustling  sound,  as  if  some  one 
stirred  in  the  darkness.  He  tore  a  leaf  out  of 
a  music-book,  twisted  it  into  a  taper,  and,  light- 
ing it  at  the  gas,  went  down  the  stairs  and  en- 
tered the  church. 

"Who  is  there?" 

Not  a  sound  in  reply. 

"  Any  one  hurt  ?     Any  one  here  ?  " 

His  voice  seemed  lost  in  the  darkness.  There 
was  not  even  an  echo.  The  paper  torch  was 
fast  burning  av/ay,  and  he  went  hastily  up  the 
main  aisle  toward  the  pulpit. 

"  Zegelda ! " 

The  flickering  light  fell  upon  a  girlish  form, 
resting  at  full  length,  and  apparently  in  helpless 
misery,  upon  the  pulpit  steps.  He  dropped  the 
dying  torch,  and  in  the  darkness,  just  touched 
by  the  distant  Tamp  in  the  organ-loft,  lifted  her 
up  and  stood  supporting  her  by  the  door  of  the 
first  pew. 

"How  came  you  here?     What  is   the   matter?" 

For  a  moment,  she  could  not  speak  for  sob- 
•  bing.  At  last,  she  managed  to  say, — 


i6o 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 


"The  janitor  let  me  in  —  more  than  an  hour 
ago.  I  heard  you  come  in.  I  was  afraid  you 
would  begin  to  play, —  and — I  could  not  bear 
it.  O  Sebastian !  Is  it  true  —  is  it  all  true  as 
people  say  ? " 

"Is  what  true?" 

"That — that  God  lives  here.     It  seems  so  still, 

—  so  still  and  cold.     I  thought  he  must  have  for- 
gotten   me,    and    I    came    here  —  to    remind    him 

—  of  it  all." 

"  Child,  he  never  forgets.  Come,  sit  down, 
and  maybe  I  can  tell  you  how  he  works  for  us." 

She  seemed  'to  be  soothed  by  his  presence, 
and  sat  down  beside  him  in  the  pew. 

"  Now  listen,  and  see  if  I  be  right.  This 
man,  Sill,  has  confessed  he  stole  all  the  money 
earned  on  that  concert  trip,  when  he  abandoned 
your  father  and  mother.  He  said  your  mother's 
trunk  was  left  at  the  hotel  at  the  little  river 
town.  I  sent  for  it;  paid  the  bill  with  interest, 
and  this  afternoon  it  came,  and  I  broke  it  open. 
I  wanted  you  to  open  it,  but  you  were  not  at 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIES, 


161 


home,  and  I  couldn't  wait.  In  it,  I  found  your 
mother's  certificate  of  marriage  to  your  father, 
and  indorsed  on  the  back  with  the  date  of  your 
birth.  Why,  my  child,  you're  only  seventeen." 

She  said  nothing  for  a  moment,  but  he  could 
hear  her  breath  come  and  go  quickly. 

"  Then  I  am  not  your  sister  at  all  ? " 

"  No." 

Suddenly,  she  slipped  away  from  him  out  into 
the  aisle  ;  and  clinging  to  the  pulpit-railing,  half- 
kneeling  upon  the  stairs,  she  gave  way  to  pas- 
sionate tears. 

"  Oh,  you  will  despise  me !     You  will  hate  me," 

"Why  should  I?"  cried  he,  coming  nearer  to 
her. 

"  Can't  you  see  ?  My  father  had  no  right  — 
Oh !  how  can  I  say  it  —  how  can  I  say  it  ?  " 

"Zegelda,  I  do  not  care.  Shall  the  sins  of 
the  father  be  laid  upon  the  innocent  shoulders 
of  the  children.  No.  God  will  judge  between 
us  —  with  mercy." 

"  And  you  do  not  care  at  all  —  you  will  al- 
ways —  " 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

"  I  will  love  you  all  the  same  —  now  and  always." 

For  a  moment,  they  two  stood  in  silence  in 
that  place.  Then  she  said  sadly, — 

"  Poor  lost  little  one !  It  must  have  died. 
What  will  your  mother  say?  She  loves  me  al- 
ready." 

"  And  so  she  always  will  —  as  her  daughter." 

She  moved  away  from  him,  and  seemed  to  peer 
up  into  the  dim  arches  faintly  outlined  overhead. 
One  of  the  white  angels  with  outstretched  hands, 
in  the  dimness  above  them,  seemed  to  glow  with 
light,  and  its  face  seemed  to  look  down  upon 
them  with  a  calm,  sweet  smile.  Her  vivid  imag- 
ination made  it  all  alive. 

She  pointed  up  at  it,  and  said, — 
•    "  You  are  right.     He  lives  here." 

Then  she  turned  and  looked  up  at  the  organ. 

"  Come !  There  is  my  place.  There  is  music, 
the  only  language  that  can  tell  all  that  is  in 
my  heart.  Come,  let  us  go  up  there." 

They  went  hand  in  hand  up  the  dim  aisle  and 
dark  stairs,  and  came  to  the  new  choir-loft. 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN!  EF. 


163 


"  How  beautiful  it   all  js  !      Sit   down  and   play 
for  me.     My  heart  is  full,  and  I  must  sing." 
******** 

The  morning  bells  called  the  people  to  church. 
The  moment  the  doors  of  St.  Clement's  were 
opened,  a  multitude  poured  into  the  place.  In 
half  an  hour,  every  seat  was  filled;  and  still  they 
came  in  throngs,  blocking  the  corridors  and  fill- 
ing the  aisles  in  dense  masses.  When  the  min- 
ister came  into  the  pulpit,  he  wondered  greatly 
at  the  great  congregation  that  had  assembled. 
At  first,  he  was  disturbed.  These  were  vain  peo- 
ple, come  with  worldly  curiosity  to  hear  the  new 
choir.  Then  he  came  to  a  wiser  conclusion.  He 
would  have  many  listeners,  and  he  must  do  his 

best. 

• 

In  the  new  organ-loft,  the  choir  had  already 
assembled,  and  sat  in  solid  rows  clear  back  to 
the  wall ;  the  adult  choir  in  the  centre,  the  la- 
dies in  front,  the  male  choir  on  the  right,  and 
the  girl  choir  on  the  left,  with  the  organist,  the 
harpist,  and  pianist  near  the  centre.  In  the  front 


164 


ZEGELDA     ROMA  .VI EF. 


were  the  soloists,  seven  people,  with  one  seat 
still  vacant.  There  was  an  ill-suppressed  buzz  of 
excitement  over  all.  Many  were  shocked  at  the 
sight  of  the  piano-forte,  others  were  positively 
indignant,  all  of  which  proves  they  were  a  trifle 
ignorant.  A  carriage  drove  up  to  the  door,  and 
Miss  Tabatha  Brown,  anxious  and  troubled, 
stepped  out.  They  made  way  for  her  in  re- 
spectful silence,  and  she  entered  the  church 
and  spoke  to  the  sexton. 

"Yes,  Miss.  Mr.  Strove  has  come.  Here  he 
is  now." 

"  Oh !  I'm  very  glad  'you  have  come.  I  am 
very  anxious  about  the  soprano.  None  of  the 
people  you  have  tried  will  do.  I  could  hardly 
rest  last  night,  thinking  all  might  be  lost  for 
want  of  one  voice." 

"  Have  no  fear,  madam.  I  have  found  the 
soprano.  Leave  it  all  to  me." 

Already  the  organ  began  to  peal  through  the 
church. 

"  I  must,  it  seems.  But,  if  she  fails,  I  shall 
be  greatly  disappointed." 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 


I6S 


"  Have  no  fear.     She  will  not  fail." 

There  was  a  slight  stir  in  the  choir,  and  every 
head  was  turned  to  see  who  came.  It  was  the 
director.  With  him  came  a  girl, —  young,  surpass- 
ingly beautiful,  and  with  that  divine  light  in  her 
eyes  that  comes  of  love  and  happiness.  This 
was  his  choir,  she  would  be  his  soprano.  She 
felt  she  had  the  voice,  and  that  now,  at  last, 
it  had  found  a  worthy  audience  and  a  worthy 
theme.  He  led  her  to  the  vacant  seat  in  front. 
The  choir  was  complete. 

Guided  by  some  unseen  signal,  the  choir  rose  and 
stood  expectant,  manuscripts  in  hand.  The  organ 
music  seemed  to  shine  and  grow  luminous  and 
glistening.  Few  knew  it  was  the  added  piano- 
forte. 

The  anthem  was  to  begin.  Miss  Tabatha 
Brown's  ideas  were  to  be  made  alive,  that  all 
men  see  and  understand.  Suddenly,  from  the 
mazy  measures  broke  forth  a  sweet  and  tender 
strain  of  girlish  voices  in  close  and  intricate  har- 
mony, —  Oh,  come,  let  us  sing, —  sing  before  the 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 

Lord!  Then  from  all  the  men  in  four  parts 
there  rolled  a  slow  and  stately  psalm, —  For  his 
mercies  are  upon  all  that  fear  him.  It  seemed 
to  kindle  the  choir  to  life;  and  over  the  slowly 
measured  psalm  there  ran,  like  liquid  fire,  a  brill- 
iant treble  or  obligate  melody  by  the  boy  so- 
pranos,—  Awake,  my  sou/,  and  learn  to  sing  his 
praise.  It  then  resolved  into  a  quartet  between 
the  tenors  and  basses,  the  boy  altos  and  girl  so- 
pranos repeating  all  the  words  in  new  music 
and  in  a  new  tone  color. 

Then  the  first  basses  took  up  a  new  strain, — 
My  soul  had  fainted  for  the  Lord,  —  and  the  adult 
altos  answered  back,  But  he  is  ever  nigh.  His 
mercies  are  always  near :  they  compass  all  his  people 
like  as  the  mountains  stand  round  about  Jerusalem. 
This  was  a  trio  of  most  unique  and  pleasing 
character  between  the  tenors,  the  boy  altos,  and 
all  the  girls  combined  on  the  melody. 

Here  was  a  true  orchestration,  a  real  and 
proper  treatment  of  the  resources  of  the  human 
voice.  The  people  were  hushed  and  surprised 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


167 


beyond  measure;  and,  when  the  voices  stopped 
and  the  organ  went  on  alone,  there  was  a  marked 
sensation  of  pleasure  and  satisfaction  over  all 
the  house.  The  harp  joined  the  organ  in  plain- 
tive measures,  and  then  the  piano  joined  as  if  in 
a  prelude.  There  was  an  almost  painful  silence 
over  choir  and  people.  A  single  stop  on  the 
organ  seemed  to  take  up  a  new  melody.  Was 
it  the  organ? 

/  cried  to  him  out  of  the  depth.  He  heard  my 
complaint.  Therefore  will  /  praise  his  holy  name 
forever. 

Above  the  deep  silence  of  the  place  rose  a 
new  voice, —  a  soprano  unspoiled  by  "methods," — 
rich,  sweet,  pure,  and  womanly.  It  seemed  a 
soul  with  lips  of  fire.  It  caught  up  all  hearts 
and  chained  every  ear,  because  of  its  beauty 
and  because  it  spoke  the  singer's  heart.  Then 
awoke  the  full-toned  choir  in  answering  strains. 
Once  more  the  single  voice  alone,  here  and  there 
touched  and  brightened  by  adding  all  the  boy 
sopranos  or  all  the  girl  sopranos  upon  a  single 


ZEGELDA     ROMAN  I EF. 

word  or  line,  a  gilding  of  the  solo  by  added 
voices  in  the  same  notes,  yet  was  it  so  skil- 
fully done  that  the  solo  voice  was  always  heard, 
just  as  a  beautiful  form  in  plastic  art  may  be 
decked  with  color  without  losing  its  charm  of 
shape  and  outline.  Still  the  anthem  went  on, 
till  every  voice  joined  in  the  full  harmony;  and 
yet  that  one  soprano  dominated  all,  was  heard 
above  all,  singing  its  hymn  of  joy  and  grati- 
tude. 

Psalm  and  hymn  and  chant  followed  in  due 
order,  each  a  new  source  of  wonder  and  surprise. 
The  minister,  having  for  the  first  time  in  his  life 
a  really  great  congregation,  preached  as  he  had 
never  preached  before.  The  reason  was  plain. 
He  had  the  inspiration  of  a  people  pleased  and 
satisfied  with  themselves,  their  church,  and  music. 

To  describe  in  detail  the  music  given  by  this 
remarkable  choir  would  fill  a  book.  Enough  has 
been  shown  to  illustrate  what  it  could  do.  The 
principle  upon  which  it  had  been  founded  was 
proved  to  be  correct.  Its  first  performance 


ZEGELDA     ROhfAtVIEF. 


169 


stamped  it  a  success.  The  very  people  who  had 
opposed  it  and  predicted  failure  were  the  loudest 
in  its  praise.  The  unselfish  ,  woman  who  had 
spent  her  money  to  try  the  experiment  was  the 
respected  and  admired  of-  all.  Her  chief  satis- 
faction seemed  to  be  in  playfully  informing  her 
friends  that,  "if  she  was  crazy,  it  was  a  very 
delightful  kind  of  craze."  Her  plans  were 
prov.ed  practicable.  Her  director  had  made  them 
a  success.  The  church  had  now  the  advantage 
of  the  severe  and  solemn  music  sometimes  used 
in  the  Episcopal  service  where  boy  choirs  are 
used ;  it  had  all  the  richness  and  splendor  of 
the  Catholic  music;  it  could  use  the  stately 
chorals  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  still  have 
the  artistic  effects  of  the  quartet. 

One  in  that  great  congregation,  that  morning, 
sat  through  it  all,  sad  and  yet  serenely  happy. 
She  had  lived  to  see  her  son's  triumph ;  and, 
though  her  heart  was  heavy  at  the  thought  of 
the  little  one  lost  so  long  ago,  yet  it  already 
leaned  upon  a  new  love  and  a  new  daughter. 


I/O 


ZEGELDA     ROMANIEF. 


The  vocal  orchestra  maintained  by  Miss  Tab- 
atha  Brown  at  St.  Clement's  was  kept  up  for  a 
year;  and  every  contract  was  fulfilled,  though  it 
cost  over  twenty  thousand  dollars.  At  the  end  of 
the  year,  a  change  was  made.  The  choir  became 
a  volunteer  organization,  and  none  were  paid 
except  four  soloists,  the  director,  and  the  three 
accompanists ;  and  thus  the  expense  was  re- 
duced to  a  comparatively  small  sum.  So  great 
was  the  demand  for  admission  to  the  choir 
that  it  was  easily  kept  full.  To  graduate  from 
St.  Clement's  was  a  pass  into  any  choir  in  the 
country.  And  so  it  was  the  choir  entered  upon 
a  second  mission  in  music,  and  became  a  great 
school  of  art. 


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